Ciao Poveglia
by Aeternus.Flamma
Summary: Shibuya Psychic Research receives a special invitation to a 'psychic summit' being hosted at the infamously haunted Poveglia island. Though crossing half the globe with his team is not ideal, Naru simply cannot pass up the chance to get into the normally locked down location.
1. Chapter 1

Ciao Poveglia

Rated: T

Shibuya Paranormal Research receives a special invitation to a 'psychic summit' being hosted at the infamously haunted Poveglia island. Though crossing half the globe with his team is not ideal, Naru simply cannot pass up the chance to get into the normally locked down location. [Rated T, possibly M for gore later.]

000

 _Hi—My name is Mai Taniyama and I am seventeen years old. After a rather unfortunate incident nearly two and a half years ago, I found myself working for Shibuya Paranormal Research agency, or SPR for short. Though I would have never imagined myself working for a 'ghost hunting' firm I can say that it has ended up changing my life. I've made great friends, received incredible experiences, and even unlocked some psychic powers that I had hidden inside myself. I wouldn't give up a moment of it for the world… despite the fact that I seem to often find myself in life or death situations…._

 **Day One**

Mai sighed as she pulled her aqua, polka dotted umbrella from her bag. The weather had been miserably lately—completely dreary. She had hoped that the rain would hold out long enough to run to a nearby store for tea, but it seemed she would have no such luck. In a normal situation, she would probably have just turned back and skipped the tea. But when working for Kazuya Shibuya, there was no such thing as _normal._

"And I won't even get a 'thank you,'" she muttered and tightened her jacket around herself to protect her a bit more from the wet chill in the air.

Though it was nearly lunch time, there was no one out and about in the streets. Most people had opted to stay in to avoid the sixth straight day of rain. Mai had little problem navigating her way through the neighborhood, even as she started to near one of the main streets. She stopped and pressed the walk button, though she knew the wait would be long. She swore this was one of the longest lights in the area and it frustrated her endlessly when she had to walk to go pick up a tea order.

While she waited, Mai looked around her haphazardly. Someone was approaching from the opposite side—a man with a black umbrella, looking at his watch every few seconds. The cars driving down the street slowed down near her to keep from splashing water up on her as she waited to cross. To Mai's left, there were steep steps that led up a bit of a hill to an old shrine. With so much development in the area, she was actually a bit surprised that it hadn't been torn down—it was very small and hardly maintained. In fact, she was rather sure she recalled hearing about a recent vandalism incident.

Standing at the bottom of the steep stone steps was a woman. At least, Mai assumed it was a woman based on the fitted jeans she was wearing. The figure was also wearing an oversized, bright orange hooded sweatshirt, so it was a bit hard to tell. Mai raised a brow and watched as the other woman stood completely still, getting absolutely soaked.

A beeping noise drew Mai from her thoughts as she realized that the Walk sign was flashing already. She hurried to run across the street before it changed back again, splashing water up her pant legs as she ran.

She had to walk two more blocks before she reached the little tea shop SPR ordered from. Sure, there were others that were closer and more convenient, but this one was a small, family owned shop in a little building that Mai thought had likely been built almost a hundred years earlier. The owners were a kind elderly couple, and even Naru stopped by to visit them periodically. He insisted he only did it because they had the best price on the kinds of tea he liked, but Mai knew that wasn't true. In fact, it was a bit _more_ expensive to order through this shop since the shop didn't get the chain, wholesale discount that some others did. But Naru didn't mind. Mai thought he just liked the family enough to want to help them keep their business.

"Good morning, Mrs. Nakamura!" Mai greeted as she opened the door to the shop. She closed up her umbrella and left it outside where it could dry a little under the cover of the overhanging roof.

"Oh good morning, Mai!" The woman replied with a smile, working to stand from her cushioned chair by one of the shop windows. Mai walked over and gave the woman a light embrace, not wanting to get her too wet with her clothes. "Is it the fifteenth already?"

"It sure is, Mrs. Nakamura, this month has flown by!" Though she said it with a smile, it wasn't entirely true. Mai thought that the month had simply _dragged_. SPR hadn't had a case for a few weeks and the rain had made everyone a bit testy when they had to come to the office for a Naru mandated meeting.

"Let me go find Jun and see if the shipment has come in," the woman said and grabbed her cane, which had been leaning against her chair just before. Mai watched as she hobbled off towards the back of the store.

Mai didn't mind waiting. She was glad to be out of the rain and she had always loved the way this store smelled. All of the different tea leaves, spices, and incense that the Nakamura's sold made her feel like she was entering another world, one forgotten as time passed and buildings became sterile, bleached white environment. Mai could never imagine herself working in that sort of environment. She liked having a job that let her explore a different side to life.

She looked around at the shelf next to the wooden checkout counter. Usually, there were baskets of miscellaneous talismans and trinkets which sat untouched with old, outdated price tags. She occasionally bought one, just make Mrs. Nakamura feel like someone in Mai's generation was interested in such a thing. Now though, the baskets were moved to the side, squished together to make room for old paper scrolls and tags, though none had a price.

"Oh Mai, dear, I have some bad news," Mrs. Nakamura said as she returned from the back. She looked terribly distraught, and Mai thought for a moment that she was going to say something had happened to Mr. Nakamura. "It seems that the deliveries have all been held up because of the rain. Reikun street is flooded apparently, and traffic has been diverted. I hope we will have it in a few hours, but it seems your trip all the way down here was for nothing."

Mai's teeth momentarily clenched as she thought about returning to SPR empty handed. Naru would probably have told her that it was her incompetence that caused the flooding or something like that. "Oh, that's okay, it can't be helped," she replied, putting a smile of her face. "By the way, Mrs. Nakamura, where did these come from?" She nodded to the new pile on the shelf.

"Those came from the Yamado shrine, just up the street. Some young hooligans broke into it, probably thinking there was some sort of treasure inside. Instead, all they found were pieces of history. They couldn't be left there because of all of the rain—they would have been damaged. One of the neighboring shrine keepers who comes to take care of it asked if we could hold onto the pieces until the shrine could be repaired. This building was blessed by one of original priests who built Yamado shrine, you know. We may be the two oldest buildings in the area, now," Mrs. Nakamura said with a sigh. She hobbled over to one of the other shelving units holding the tea and pulled off a tin. "Here, dear. Take this back with you. I'm sure Kazuya will be grumpy if he doesn't have any tea today."

 _Oh yes he will be_ , Mai thought to herself as she accepted the tin of tea. "Thank you Mrs. Nakamura. Just switch it out with one of the tins from our order? I will probably just stop back tomorrow. Take care!"

She gave a wave and placed the tin in her bag before leaving to retrieve her umbrella. At least she would be able to make Naru something to improve his mood, and hopefully hers to.

As she started her trek back to SPR, which was at a mostly uphill incline and thus the harder walk, she thought about making stop at the little shrine, just to see how badly damaged it was. It was on the same side of the road as her now so it wouldn't be all that out of the way for her. However, as she approached, she saw that the same figure in orange was standing there, staring up the steep stone steps.

Honestly, Mai had to make sure for a moment that the woman wasn't a spirit of some sort. Crazier things had happened, after all. But no—the woman's sweatshirt was thoroughly soaked and she even appeared to be smoking a cigarette, so Mai concluded that the odd woman was definitely alive.

She thought briefly about crossing to the opposite side of the street, just to avoid having to pass by the woman. The light was already flashing though, and she knew she would have a long wait if she wanted to cross left first _then_ cross the main avenue. She'd rather get back to the warm office faster than have to do that.

Mai sucked it up and hurried across the road and continued her quick pace as she approached the woman. She could see now that the figure in orange was, in fact, a woman—with multicolored hair sticking out from underneath her hood. Mai would have ventured a guess to say that she was a foreigner, based on what she could see from the woman's profile. The woman didn't even flicker a glance at Mai as she neared.

She gripped her bag and umbrella tightly as she started to pass by. Before she even had another moment to think, Mai gasped loudly and started to stumble forward.

Her blood was boiling and her skin felt like it was being burned off of her body. For a moment, she thought she was going to die—explode from the inside out.

And then it was gone. The wet chill in the air cut through her so sharply that it was also painful, though not quite so bad. She felt cold and clammy, and sweat beaded at her forehead. Mai turned back to glance at the woman, but again, the woman didn't even seem to notice her presence. Mai let go of her bag, letting it hang against her side, and clutched her heart. She just wanted to get back to the office—she just had to make it back to the office.

In the end, she didn't even remember crossing the streets needed to get to SPR. The next thing she knew, she was placing her hand on the handle of the office door. When she realized that she seemed to have 'lost' a few minutes of time, presumably walking the well known route out of habit, she paused and looked around her. Her umbrella was resting at the building's main door with a few others, just where it was supposed to be, so she automatically closed it up and put it down too, it seemed.

She looked over herself and found that all of her belongings were in place and she didn't seem harmed. Instead, she was just… a bit dazed. She was fine.

"I'm fine," she whispered to herself, as if repeating it aloud made it perfectly true. She had already resolved not to tell Naru. If he thought she was randomly blacking out and moving through life on autopilot, there was a chance he would keep her from going on cases. He could see her as a liability to the team.

The handle moved beneath her hand before she had a chance to push it down herself. She let go before she was accidentally pulled forward when the door opened. Naru stood on the other side, his typical (perfect) arrogant face staring down at her.

"I was starting to wonder if you had forgotten how to use a door," he said, barely raising a brow at her.

"Of course I didn't _forget how to use a door_ ," Mai replied loudly. "I was just trying to shake off some of the extra water to keep from tracking it into the office." She waved around her arms for effect, letting water droplets fly off on to his black clothes.

"So you decided to soak the stairs instead. Good. Wet stairs certainly aren't a safety hazard or anything. If you're quite done, go make some tea."

Mai scowled and walked through, pushing past Naru to get to the coat rack. She pulled of her tan jacket and hung it before picking up her bag and taking it into the kitchen. "Aren't you going to ask why I don't have a bag from Nakamura's?"

"Reikun street is flooded and it's holding up all of the traffic. Most of the areas deliveries are delayed," Naru replied and sat down, moving his computer onto his lap. He looked perfectly warm and comfortable while Mai walked around in her uncomfortably wet pants and socks. It made her scowl again.

"You already knew? _Please_ tell me that you didn't know that when I left," she replied, setting the tea tin she had received on the counter with a loud _'smack.'_

"Of course not. I turned on the news just after you left. If you had checked it yourself before you went running off, maybe you would have known too."

"And you didn't think to…. Call? Text? _Anything_ to keep me from making a useless trip halfway across the town?" Mai asked, trying to contain her frustration. As she had started to grow older, she had started to grow tired of Naru's attitude towards her. She thought it would have been different, after he returned from England, but no. He was very much the same, perhaps even a little _worse_ after she had confessed her feelings to him (and he rejected her, having the nerve to say she didn't actually care for _him_.)

He didn't bother turning around to answer her. "Don't you tell me quite frequently that you don't like when I call or text you?"

"Yeah… When you do it _in the middle of the night_ or _at six am in the morning_!" Mai replied angrily and shook her head. He didn't respond after that. She took a deep breath and put her head in her hands, leaning against the counter top. Just as she thought she was starting to calm down…

"I don't hear the kettle on."

She grabbed the sleek black kettle from the stove top and slammed it into the sink, practically yanking the faucet off as she twisted it on. _Tea, tea, tea, tea, tea._ _That's all the man ever thinks about. One of these days, I should really pour his tea on his lap._

And such were her days working at the newly reopened SPR.

000

 _Author's Notes: hehehe…. Hi guys…. Um… so yeah… I started yet another story. I just… I can't help myself, okay? I get these ideas in my head and they just won't go away! This one has been floating around for some time now, though it was an originally a one shot featuring Lin. But instead, I decided to try and elaborate and make it a longer story. We'll see how that goes. It will start out rather light, but it will take a much darker turn, kinda like how the series itself ended up being._

 _I have been to Venice and I did receive a great deal of information on Poveglia. In fact, I was given the info to go to Poveglia… of course, it would have been through an incredibly shady company and if I had been caught on the island, which is closed off to_ _ **everyone**_ _, my husband and I would have been arrested. So… yeah. Haha._

 _I am set to go ghost hunting in Leap Castle in just a few weeks. I am traveling over to Ireland for a vacation and by pure chance, I was able to get in. If you don't know Leap Castle, it is considered to be one of the most haunted places in the world—most consider it to be the most haunted place in Ireland, at the very least. I am going to go with four friends and stay overnight. Five of us. Alone. In a haunted castle. If you never hear from me again, I guess you'll know what happened to me! (I have done other ghost hunting expeditions too—Hillview Manor and the Trans Allegheny Lunatic Asylum. I am a ghost hunting hobbyist, so hopefully I can help bring some realism into this story!)_

 _I know that this fandom isn't super huge, so if you're out there, please let me know!_

 _Ever Your Servant,_

 _A.F_


	2. Chapter 2

Ciao Poveglia

Rated: T

Shibuya Paranormal Research receives a special invitation to a 'psychic summit' being hosted at the infamously haunted Poveglia island. Though crossing half the globe with his team is not ideal, Naru simply cannot pass up the chance to get into the normally locked down location. [Rated T, possibly M for gore later.]

000

 **Day Two**

"You certainly didn't waste any time today. You should be like this more often." Naru stood sipping his tea while he stared at Mai with minimal interest. She was seated at the small table kitchen table, booting up one of the office laptops.

Mai had just come from the Nakamura's. The rain only sprinkled on her as she picked up the order of tea from the shop, thankfully, but it still hadn't been a pleasant trip. The woman in orange had been back again, but this time, she was halfway up the shrine steps. Mai probably wouldn't have noticed her if she hadn't felt so uncomfortably warm as she walked by.

"Naru, what do you know about the Yamado shrine?" Mai asked, ignoring his quip. She had come in and immediately put tea on for him without even a prompt and then sat down to get to work. Something was going on over at the shrine, she could feel it.

"There isn't much to tell about it," Naru said, more willing to talk now that his hands were busy with a warm cup of tea. "It's old, but certainly not one of the oldest shrines. It was built nearly one hundred years ago when the area was starting to grow. Though it received plenty of traffic, the steps were difficult for many people, especially the elderly, and Takegaru shrine started to take over. Over the years, it's simply withered away to almost nothing. The property isn't large enough to intrigue real estate agents—tearing down a shrine is a great deal of paperwork that most people aren't willing to go through."

Mai scrolled through images that had come up in her search box and hummed. Naru was right—the property itself was very small. Most of it was tree lined hill sides that ran parallel to the major street. If someone were to buy it and tear it down, they would have to do a lot of work to level it out. No wonder it had been left alone as the area around it started to change.

"Why haven't we ever investigated it? It's just down the street from us."

She felt like has looking at her as if she were crazy. When he didn't answer, she furrowed her brows and glared at him. She knew that look. It was the _are you stupid, Mai?_

"I'm serious, Naru! Why haven't we ever checked it out?"

"We check out locations with _clients_ , Mai. _Paying_ clients. No one from the shrine has ever approached us. There has never been any sort of claim of paranormal activity at the shrine, beyond the usual mystical lore. Why are you suddenly interested in the Yamado shrine anyways?" Naru's eyes narrowed and she swallowed hard. He knew that she was hiding something.

If she told him about the odd woman in orange, she may have to tell him about the pain she felt when she walked by—and that was a conversation she didn't care to have. He would probably think she was being overly paranoid and just hoping something would happen to break up their lag in cases.

"The Nakamura's," she said after a moment, "the Nakamura's said that the shrine was broken into, so they have to hold onto all of the scrolls that were housed in it to keep them from getting damaged in the rain. I just… think it's weird, that's all."

"You think it's weird that a group of trouble makers broke into a shrine, probably looking for a gold idol, or something like that?" Naru asked, setting his tea down on the table and crossing his arms. He didn't buy it, she could tell.

"No, I mean, the scrolls were weird," she said, hoping her quick amendment would cover her.

There was a flicker of something across Naru's eyes. She couldn't tell what it was, exactly. For a moment, she thought that maybe it was… disappointment. He picked up his tea.

"Then maybe I should pay a visit to the Nakamura's as see these _weird scrolls_ ," he turned his back to her and turned to go into the office's back room. "Finish the agenda for tomorrow's meeting. You can leave after that."

She watched his back as he entered the room then shut the door, blocking the two of them off from one another. Usually, getting an early pass to go home was such a blessing. Today, it felt like a punishment. Mai looked at the computer screen and closed out of the search window. It was probably nothing. There was no reason to look into it if Naru didn't think the shrine was worth investigating.

000

 **Day Three, Hour 14:32**

"—if you had been paying attention, then maybe he wouldn't have—"

"—Oh, there it is, it's my fault. Why is it that whenever—"

"—you can't keep your wandering eyes to your—"

"—eyes? I wasn't doing a damn thing! She was at least six months pregnant—"

"—once a woman's pregnant, she's suddenly unattractive? You're—"

Mai just stood silently, her jaw slowly dropping the longer Monk and Ayako stood in the main room of SPR arguing. They hadn't even seemed to have noticed her, instead opting to shout at one another. Ayako was holding a red shoe with a broken heel, waving it around and coming dangerously close to Monk's head.

"Um, guys?"

"Not now, Mai," Ayako snapped, not taking her eyes off her on-again-off-again boyfriend as she waved the shoe in Mai's directions.

"Yes, now," Naru's voice said from over Mai's shoulder. She hadn't even heard him walk up, though with all of the shouting, she supposed she wasn't exactly surprised.

Naru's entrance may have been enough to cause Monk to clasp his mouth shut, but it wasn't enough for Ayako. In fact, it may have only made things worse. "Oh don't give me any of your crap, Naru. These meetings are pointless lately, you could have just called us instead of dragging us all of the way out here."

"Call you? No, that would be quite impossible since _Mai insisted_ that we go investigate the Yamado shrine," he said coolly.

Mai didn't need to see Ayako's disgusted look to know she too felt it was a fruitless endevour. Mai whipped around, turning so fast that the teapot on her tray started to slide. It would have fallen to the floor and shattered if Naru hadn't quickly snagged it by its handle. "Woah, Naru, I did _not_ —"

"Yes, Mai seems to be sure that the recent break in is paranormal and has to do with _weird scrolls_ so here we are, going to go out in the pouring rain with all of our expensive equipment—"

"Naru, _stop_ ," Mai shouted and stomped her foot like a child. He raised a brow and looked down upon her, and she then actually _felt_ like a child.

Ayako and Monk both looked suddenly concerned. It wasn't because of the case, but because of Naru's reaction. They also knew him well enough to know that he was intentionally trying to rile up their young friend and 'pseudo –daughter', and it went beyond his usual teasing.

And they were right. The icy look he was giving her made Mai want to cry—but she was an eighteen year old _woman_ and she wouldn't allow that to happen. Instead, she would walk away from the situation calmly.

Well she would have, if Naru hadn't done it first. "The meeting is canceled," he said and disappeared into the back room.

The three remaining looked at one another in confusion.

"Mai, what was that about?" Monk asked, stepping up to place hand on Mai's shoulder. The effect was immediate, and she felt much better.

She shook her head and shrugged. "I don't know. I just… Since he's been back, he's just been… Well, you know…"

They didn't really need to say it. Though he wouldn't go into the details, finding his twin brother's body had certainly taken its toll of the young man. Mai had hoped for months that he would return. He had given her the key to SPR and she continued to look after it—not as a business or anything, just doing some basic housekeeping. Though they hadn't left on very good terms, she figured the fact that he continued to renew the lease instead of letting it terminate meant _something_.

They had only been on one case since his return, and it was rather lack luster. She hadn't been very helpful and she had barely spoken to Naru. She felt awkward and unsure of what to say, and he typically ignored her, especially when others were around. Only recently had his normal teasing resumed, and she had to wonder if it was because he was bored and mostly—alone.

The door to the office opened and in came a smiling John. "Hey guys! I thought I would be late! Look who I found!" He side stepped, though he didn't really need to. They could see the towering Lin behind him anyhow.

"Lin, you're back!" Monk said brightly, though he received barely more than a nod from the Chinese male.

"You guys didn't miss much," Ayako said with a sigh, dropping her broken heel on the edge of the coffee table rug, "Naru has apparently decided to cancel the meeting, so we came all the way out here for nothing."

John tilted his head to the side. Oh John, nothing seemed to get to him. He looked more concerned than angry. "Why would he do that?"

"Where's Naru?" Link asked, looking at Mai. She shrugged and shook her head with a frown, jabbing her thumb in the direction of the back room."

Link hauled his suitcase in behind him and went to the back, ignoring everyone else's inquiring comments.

Naru had come a bit over a month before Lin. He had promised Lin that he wouldn't take any cases until Lin was back from England as well, but he hadn't kept that promise. Mai knew that Lin was more than a little upset with Naru.

"Mai, why don't you bring that tea over here and tell us what _really_ happened with the shrine," Ayako said and sat down on the black leather couch. Monk squeezed Mai's shoulder and then went to join the red headed woman, their previous argument apparently forgotten.

"I… feel like I missed something," John said, looking between his teammates and then shrugging. He took one of the matching, cushy leather chairs and looked to Mai for an explanation.

She sighed and picked up the tray of tea again, walking it over to the coffee table. She poured three cups for the others but didn't pour any for herself. Naru's little outburst had left a rather bad taste in her mouth.

"It's just… all so stupid," Mai said and sat back in the remaining leather chair, slouching a little bit. "I just wanted to know why we hadn't ever looked into Yamado shrine and it led to… all of that."

"Nothing sparked Naru to try to rile you up?" Monk asked, although Mai knew it was because he doubted she was telling the whole truth.

"I just… I didn't want him to freak out, you know? I don't want to get taken off cases because he thinks I'm a danger magnet, you know?" Mai asked, and all three of her teammates nodded. They were nodding because they _agreed_ she was a trouble magnet. Ugh. "I went on a tea run two days ago, and there was this strange woman standing at the foot of the steps to the shrine. She was just staring up the stairs—she didn't move or anything. If I hadn't seen her lit cigarette, I would have thought she turned into a statue." _Or a ghost,_ she thought, but didn't say.

"Did she do something to hurt you?" Ayako asked, sitting forward suddenly.

Mai shook her head quickly, but then stopped and gazed off. Did the woman hurt her? "I can't really explain it… It was pouring out, you know? Just like it has been… I walked by her and I suddenly felt very hot—like _boiling_. I thought… I thought I was going to explode. I looked up the term I was thinking about. _Internal combustion._ It only lasted for a moment, but it was terrifying."

She would leave out the zombie like state she entered into after, if only to keep the concern down. That was probably nothing more than her normal absentmindedness.

"So, really, it was the woman who you wanted to investigate, not the shrine?" Monk asked, still not understanding Mai's train of thought. She couldn't really blame him.

"I guess. But I just feel like it has to do with the shrine—you know how I get my _feelings_. I feel like the woman was there because of the shrine. She… was there yesterday too. But yesterday when I saw her, she was half way up the steps. Just standing there." Mai shrugged and looked down, playing with the hem of her shirt.

John stood after no one said anything for a few moments. "Well, let's go then! I'm still not entirely sure what happened before I got here, but it couldn't hurt to just go look, right? Maybe the woman's there, maybe she isn't."

Ayako sighed loudly. "We might as well. My hair's already a mess and my day can't get much worse than a broken heel on a one hundred and thirty dollar pair of shoes."

"But how will you walk, Ayako?" Mai asked. The red headed woman waved her off.

"Please. I know better than to leave the house without a back up pair of shoes. They may be sandals and it may be wet and cold, but it's better than nothing." She reached into her large, designer purse and pulled out a pair of red flip flops. Monk rolled his eyes, but thankfully for them, she couldn't see it.

"I guess we can go, if you guys really don't mind. It could be nothing. I just want to check it out," Mai said.

"Do you think we should invite Lin and Naru?" John asked and looked over at the closed door.

Mai thought for a moment but shook her head. "No, let them go. We can do this on our own. Besides, he said the meeting is canceled, and the two of them probably have some… things… to discuss."

"Then let's go!" Monk jumped up and grabbed his coat from the rack, throwing it over his shoulders and opening the door to head downstairs for the others.

Mai smiled at him. At least _some_ things never change.

000

 _Author's Notes: I know. Right now, you're probably thinking 1) what does any of this have to do with Poveglia and 2) how long until she stops updating this one too? Well, the answer to number one is easy… The group has to actually get invited to go to the meeting first, and I want to line up the current character dynamic so that you know the situation going into the main story. The answer to number two is not as easy… basically…. Until I get bored/until people stop reviewing. I have promised myself that I will only update once I have the chapter after written to keep me from hitting a road block after so many chapters are posted._

 _I have a pretty definite image of how the plot is going to be laid out. I know the primary progression from start to finish, for once, so I'm hoping that will help me continue. Unfortunately, I know that very few of my friends are into this fandom, so it isn't likely that I will have a beta reader. If things seem inconsistent, or you pick up on spelling/grammar mistakes, I apologize. I'm the only one seeing this before it's posted, and sometimes I miss things!_

 _My goal is to have most of this done before Halloween, which means I have to have most of it written before I go overseas because I will just be getting home a few days before Halloween! We will see what happens!_

 _Thanks for reading!_

 _Ever Your Servant,_

 _A.F_


	3. Chapter 3

Ciao Poveglia

Rated: T

Shibuya Paranormal Research receives a special invitation to a 'psychic summit' being hosted at the infamously haunted Poveglia island. Though crossing half the globe with his team is not ideal, Naru simply cannot pass up the chance to get into the normally locked down location. [Rated T, possibly M for gore later.]

000

 **Day Three, Hour 14:56**

The hired help of SPR stood at the base of the steep stone steps, looking up at the top. It was still raining but not as bad as it had been before. Monk had given Ayako their umbrella and was content enough just to have his hood pulled up over his sandy colored hair. The group stood in silence until Monk finally said, "you know, I think I will go first, just in case."

Ayako walked up behind him, preferring for Mai to be behind her. She had to hitch her tight skirt up a bit higher to be able to easily climb up the stairs, and though John was a devout Catholic priest, she just preferred to have a woman behind her if anything were to accidentally flash through.

They were already tired by the time they made it a bit over half of the way up the stairs. Because of the slick stone, they had to move carefully and slowly. More than once, John helped to catch Mai as she started to slip. Ayako was complaining and Monk was telling her she was out of shape. Mai would have found it funny, if she wasn't feeling so out of shape herself.

By the time they reached the top, Monk stopped and put his arm out to signal his stopping. "There's someone up here. They're alone, wearing an orange hoodie."

Mai nodded vigorously before she realized that Monk couldn't see her. "Yes, that's her!"

"Something's off," Ayako whispered, "the tree spirits are active—like they're watching or something."

Usually, the group may have rolled their eyes at the priestess who immediately brought up the tree spirits in most cases. They did not, however, because they agreed. It felt like eyes were on them, but they couldn't tell where it was coming from. The tree spirits were just as good of a reason as something else.

Monk stepped up the last few steps and started to move forward with Ayako following close behind him. Mai started to follow, but John grabbed her hand and shook his head. She opened her mouth to object, but then changed her mind. Maybe it was best to stay behind until Monk and Ayako gave her the all clear. She crouched down, kneeling on the wet steps, and looking just over the edge to see the shrine some distance ahead of them.

Just as Monk had said, the woman was there. Unlike the last two times Mai had seen her, the woman's hands weren't in her pockets. They were at her sides as if waiting for something to come towards her. It took Mai a moment, but then she noticed that the woman had a cigarette in her hand and it was quickly burning up.

A flame glared to life from the cigarette and Mai thought that it caught the orange sweatshirt sleeve on fire. The woman didn't seem to panic as she raised her arm up higher—then Mai saw it. The flames she saw were sitting in the woman's open palm.

Before she could try to ask John what was happening, her stomach started to clench up. She felt like she wanted to vomit. There was something around her that was making her feel sick. It seemed like her teammates felt it as well, as Ayako was crouched over and she was leaning on an old, moss covered statue for support.

Darkness—that was what it was. She hadn't felt it in such a way in a long time, but it was certainly something evil that was causing this pain in all of the spiritualists. Mai forced herself to look up so that she could see what was happening. It was hard to see from her position, but it was hard enough to keep herself from stumbling down the stairs, let alone try to move forward.

Instead, the group watched as a black mist formed around the broken shrine in the center of the small plateau. It grew and grew until Mai was sure she could see a shape forming. There was a moaning echoing around her, she thought it was coming from the trees themselves—like they were in pain as well.

The woman in orange started moving her hands back and forth. She was tossing her little ball of fire from one balm to another and it seemed to grow as she did so, even through the drizzle coming through the trees. It was absolutely entrancing, and Mai found that she couldn't look away. The black mass seemed to crawl out of the small shrine, she could almost make out the form of arms and legs moving along the old, grey stone. It then stood and Mai was sure she saw a face—something skeletal and terrifying. It gave an ear splitting shriek and then flew forward at the woman in orange.

The woman split her now much large ball of fire into two so that there was a smaller ball in each hand and then she thrust her arms outwards. The fire roared to life when it came into contact with the black mass. It consumed the darkness and then quickly dissipated. Just before the fire burned out, Mai thought that perhaps it had formed into a shape of some sort—maybe a bird or something like that.

Just as quickly as the sickness came on, it disappeared. The bile in her throat went back down and her stomach stopped trying to implode on itself. The others seemed to be feeling well also. Monk was standing straight again and running towards the woman in orange. She swayed back and forth and started to turn towards them. She didn't make it before she collapsed.

Monk barely managed to lurch forward and get his hand under her head before she cracked it off of the stone ground. He gave a startled cry however and immediately pushed the woman away from him. "She's hot!"

"Monk!" Ayako shouted, looking completely betrayed. He scowled and rolled his eyes.

"No, I mean _literally_. Her skin is _burning_!"

As Mai neared, she could actually _see_ what Monk meant. As the drizzling rain hit the woman's face, it seemed to evaporate off almost immediately. "Should we… call for an ambulance?" Mai asked as she stepped as close as she dared to the woman in orange. Now that she was closer, she could see that there was a lump underneath the hoodie—probably a side bag or something being protected from the rain.

Ayako frowned and pressed her hands to her chest. "I think it would be best if we just… leave her."

"You can't be serious!" John said as he crouched down to check for a pulse, "her pulse is erratic—she needs help!"

Ayako shook her head and stepped back. Usually, Mai would have expected her to shout at John and have some sort of quip, but not now. Looking over the red headed woman, Mai thought that she could see something behind Ayako's typically hard exterior—fear.

"You don't understand," Ayako responded, her voice low and even, "I believe that we saw a fire spirit right now. They shouldn't be found in places like this, and they _definitely_ shouldn't be controlled by a person. I don't think that this is something we should get involved in."

They watched as she slowly turned around and went towards the steps. She was serious. If they made the decision to help the unconscious woman, then she wouldn't be a part of it. Mai stepped forward for a moment, thinking about running after her, but then she decided against it. Mai wasn't the sort of person who would ever be okay leaving someone lying unconscious in the rain.

Monk watched Ayako leave and shook his head. Once she was out of sight, he stood and moved closer to the shrine, inspecting its damage.

There was a bit of chain laying on the ground near the door, which had been forced off its hinges. If he were to take a guess, he probably would have said that someone had put their entire body weight into getting the door open and broke it—maybe the destruction hadn't necessarily been intentional. Inside, there was a small table with old, deteriorating fabric. An idol of some sort had probably sat there for many years, but it was gone now. Below the table, there were small wooden boxes that now sat empty.

One of the boxes was not like the others. The others were lidless crates. One of the boxes was more like a chest and it had a few old paper wards plastered along the seals. Though they had likely been weak to begin with, Monk assumed that whoever broke into the shrine had probably cut open the box to look for some sort of _treasure._

"There was something in here that was warded. If I had to guess, I would say that some priests locked up an evil spirit or something inside the shrine to keep people from it. Some punks probably broke in thinking they would find something valuable to pawn and instead unleashed a nasty bugger," Monk said and tried to shut the doors. They were too broken to be able to do much, but he tried his best. It may have been empty inside, but he still didn't want the elements getting inside of it.

"Should we… re-ward it?"Mai asked.

Monk shook his head. "Nah. Whatever it was is gone now. But you were definitely right, Mai. There _was_ something here. Maybe if Naru had listened to you and checked it out earlier, there wouldn't be a random woman laying on the ground…"

"Her pulse is steady. Besides being warm and unconscious, she appears fine," John said and stood.

"That's good, I guess. We aren't too far from the office. I caught her before she could hit her head, so she probably doesn't have any sort of head injury we need to worry about. Why don't we take her back with us and see what the Boss man thinks? We could call an ambulance from there if need be—but if it's spiritual damage, then we all know that it would be pointless. Help me get her on my back."

Mai and John helped to lift the woman—which was difficult because she was essentially dead weight—and drape her over Monk's back. He had to keep hitching her up as she slid, but he managed. The steps were the most difficult, it took them twice as long to do down as it did to go up. The streets were a bit busier than they had been lately, probably because of the break in heavy rain. A few passersby gave their little group off looks, but Mai kept her head down and hoped to get to the office quicker.

000

 **Day Three, Hour: 15:32**

"There's a place for unconscious people. It's called the hospital. Not my office."

Naru was not as sympathetic as Mai, Monk, and John. But then, Mai couldn't exactly say that she was _surprised_ by her boss's reaction. Between bringing back the mystery woman, investigating without him, and lying about her reasoning to go to the shrine in the first place… he wasn't in a good mood. Ayako's pacing didn't help either.

"Ayako, will you help me take her hoodie off? It's soaked. I will put a blanket around her," Mai said, ignoring her boss's almost-sneers.

Ayako shook her head. "No. I'm not touching her. You brought her here, she's your responsibility."

Mai opened her mouth to possibly whine when she saw Naru's eyes narrow. He apparently agreed with Ayako.

"I'll help," Monk sighed loudly. "You unzip it and hold her up, I will pull it off." Between the two of them, they were able to awkwardly maneuver the woman like she was a rag doll. As Mai had suspected, the woman had a bag under her sweatshirt. They also worked to get the strap over her head and away from her. While John placed a soft, microfiber grey blanket over the woman, Mai sat down and opened her bag.

"You shouldn't go through someone's stuff, Mai," Monk said with a frown. Mai almost laughed—it sounded like he was scolding his child.

"I know that. But maybe she has emergency information—or a phone. I have information on me at all times that says who to contact if there's ever an emergency. Maybe she has something too." Mai thought it was a perfectly logical reasoning. As she rummaged through, she found numerous things, but nothing that seemed to be helpful.

All of the paperwork was in English as well, which certainly didn't help. There was a mobile phone in one of the pockets, but it was password protected.

"Who's your emergency contact?" Naru asked suddenly, and Mai glanced over at him with a raised brow.

"Well Monk and Ayako, obviously. They're listed as my next of kin, since I have no biological family. I'm glad we didn't leave her," Mai said, returning her attention to the bag, "look, her passport's here. If we had left her and someone else found her, they could have stolen it!"

In her excitement (and assurance that she did the right thing,) she didn't notice Monk and Ayako giving each other odd looks, with their gazes occasionally flickering over to Naru over the top of his head.

"Natasha Dem… Dement—yeva. Wow, that's a hard name," Mai said with a laugh.

Naru uncrossed his arms and put his hand out, gesturing for the passport. Mai sighed and handed it over to him. He flicked through it, apparently having no qualms about going through someone's personal items. "Russian name, United States passport. Well traveled based on the stamps."

Mai hummed with mild interest and placed the woman's phone back into her bag. She was about to close it up when she saw the corner of an envelope sticking out of one of the bag's pockets. She started to pull it out but then stopped, her heart beat suddenly picking up. "Naru," she whispered, carefully sliding the envelope out of the bag.

She did her best to hand it over to him without the others seeing, keeping it face down and immediately letting go when it was in his hands. It was a think envelope, made out of high quality paper with beautiful calligraphy decorating the front.

It read: _Doctor Oliver Davis_

"Monk, lock the door," Naru said, and Mai swore she felt the room drop a few degrees.

000

 _Author's notes: alrighty, now we can get things moving! I will warn you now, there will be a great deal of original characters. I don't think that should be a surprise, since they will be traveling to Italy, so it only makes sense that they would meet with some new and unusual people. I've been doing some research on different sorts of psychics and spiritualists, so I hope to be able to create a diverse bunch to interact with the SPR team. Don't worry, it won't center around these original characters—it will be all about our loveable misfits and their narcissistic boss!_

 _A special thanks to my first reviewer-_ _ **crazyanimefreak15**_ _for being my first reviewer! I hope to continue on the same track—but if you ever feel like I've managed to break character for someone, don't hesitate to let me know!_

 ** _Gally619_** _, thanks for your review! I will hope to continue updating at a quick pace. Luckily, 'tis the season' in a way, so it's easy to stay in the Ghost Hunt mood!_

 _And thank you,_ _ **bunny angel**_ _for your review as well! Hopefully I will maintain your interest!_

 _Thanks for reading everyone! Please feel free to shoot me any ideas you have for original character abilities!_

 _Ever Your Servant,_

 _A.F_


	4. Chapter 4

Ciao Poveglia

Rated: T

Shibuya Paranormal Research receives a special invitation to a 'psychic summit' being hosted at the infamously haunted Poveglia island. Though crossing half the globe with his team is not ideal, Naru simply cannot pass up the chance to get into the normally locked down location. [Rated T, possibly M for gore later.]

000

 **Day Three, Hour: 16:03**

Lin had finally come forth from hiding in the back room when he felt the drop in temperature. He stood by, continuously giving Naru warning words as he felt it ward was ready to start poltergeisting. Ayako resumed her pacing, muttering how she knew it was a bad idea to bring the woman to the office, even if she didn't quite understand what had Naru so upset.

As far as Mai knew, she as Masako were the only two on the team who knew Naru's secret. Even when he went off to England, Monk and Ayako didn't really question it. Maybe they knew—maybe they felt it was better if they didn't know.

They had to wait for a good while before the woman started to wake again. They saw her starting to stir and all gathered around, preparing to fight if need be (John even had the forethought to grab the fire extinguisher from the kitchen, just in case.) When she opened her eyes, she looked around at the eyes staring back at her and hummed in…. amusement?

Mai knew that if she had been in the woman's position, she would have been _totally_ freaked out.

 _"I've woken up in worse places."_

She was speaking English and Mai could only just understand her. Her own English was rough, at best, and she couldn't speak it very well. She was better at reading and hearing it than writing or speaking. Mai looked around at the others to see how they reacted—Naru and Lin were obviously fluent, as was John. Mai knew that Ayako had extensive schooling, so she was probably fine as well. Monk furrowed his brows and seemed to be thinking the woman's words over. Mai felt a bit of relief that she wasn't the only one who had a bit of trouble with the language.

 _"Who are you?"_ Naru asked, though any anger he had was hidden. He sat calmly, with his hands clasped in front of him. He was every part the professional and it always amazed Mai. She only realized that she was staring at him when his gaze flicked over to her momentarily. She hurried and looked back at the woman.

The woman pointedly looked at her passport, which was lying on the coffee table, then brushed some strands of multi colored hair (it had streaks of red, yellow, and orange dyed into her brown) out of her eyes. _"You know my name, obviously. Most people call me Ash. I've been looking for you."_

Lin threw the unopened envelope onto the coffee table and Naru said, _"I can see that."_

The woman, Ash, sat back on the leather couch, tossing the blanket to the side. _"You could just open the letter, then you'll understand. No interrogation necessary."_

 _"My employees said that they saw you call upon a Fire Spirit. Is that true?"_ Naru asked, ignoring the envelope completely.

Ash shrugged. _"You have your abilities. I have mine."_

The two continued to stare at one another—Naru's gaze was cool and calculating. The woman's was aloof. Finally, it was as if Naru deemed Ash safe, or at the very least, _not_ a threat. "Lin, you may open the letter."

Lin gave Naru a look, one that Mai was sure said something like— _you can open your own damned letter._ But he swiped the letter off the table once more and walked to one of the kitchen drawers to pull out a letter opener. Once he sliced it open, he pulled out the contents and scanned them over. Even from where Mai sat it was clear that it was an invitation of some sort.

When he finished, he passed it over to Naru, who read over it as well. He looked back at Ash, this time with a bit more interest.

Seeing his mood lift a little bit, Mai immediately jumped up. "I will put some tea on. Please excuse me," she said in Japanese, not trusting her English, and hurried into the kitchen before Naru could stop her. Thankfully, he didn't. From the kitchen, she strained her ears to try to hear whatever was said next.

 _"This place is supposedly closed off to all visitors—by decree of the Italian government. It seems, if we were to attend, we would find ourselves arrested very quickly,"_ Naru said, closing the invitation.

 _"I have the information for our contact in the Department of Tourism—I will gladly give it to you, if you would like. They were happy to make arrangements for my employer after a large donation. You may bring up to nine people with you for a total group size of ten. Accommodations will be made for your group as well as the other groups attending. After you RSVP, we will provide you with an itinerary so that you may plan accordingly. Of the planned seven days, four will be on the island. The first three are for events in the town,"_ Ash said. Mai glanced over at her as she spoke. In Mai's opinion, it was like she was reading off of a cue card—like she had memorized exactly what to say. Then again, Mai could only partially follow the conversation, so it was difficult for her to be sure.

 _"All expenses will be covered? That's quite a large promise,"_ Naru replied.

 _"More details will be provided upon your response. However I can tell you that a flight will be arranged though you may choose alternative accommodations at your own expense. The only thing that will not be covered is more than one checked bag per attendee. You will need to pay for any further shipping for your equipment."_ Ash stood up and stretched, turning her head from side to side and wincing when there was a bit of a cracking noise. " _I cannot provide anymore information until I have your signed response card in my possession. If I can have a pen and paper, I will leave my contact information. You won't have long to decide. It took a lot longer than I expected to track you down."_

"Mai, paper and pen," Naru called out to her. She hurried and set the kettle on then turned and grabbed the memo pad and pen that sat next to the office telephone. She started to take it to Naru, but he waved his hand in Ash's direction. The woman accepted it and scribbled down her name and telephone number. Mai could tell from the number that it was an international number, probably for the woman's mobile.

Ash gave a polite little bow instead of offering her hand, Mai noticed. " _Nice meeting you. I hope we will be in touch soon. If you'll excuse me, I need to get back to my hotel."_

Naru let the woman leave, much to Mai's surprise. Lin unlocked the door and let her out, watching as she reached the bottom of the steps and walked through the building's atrium. Naru was lightly tapping the folded invitation while staring off into the distance at mothering in particular. He was deep in thought, his mind probably running through ten scenarios at once, if Mai knew him at all.

Even though their… guest.. had left, Mai finished making the tea and pour a mug for Naru first. She handed it off and he accepted it without a word. She proceeded to offer it to the others, but only John and Lin took mugs from her as well. Ayako was looking out the window, following Ash with her eyes.

"So…." Monk started slowly, "are you going to tell us what's going on? Or are you going to keep us in the dark?"

Naru stood up suddenly, tea in one hand and the invitation in the other. "I need to make a few phone calls." Without another word, he disappeared into the back room with Lin hot on his tail. They shut the door behind them and there was an audible _'click'_ as they locked it.

Ayako let out a frustrated sigh. "Well, I'm not going to stay here and wait for him to deem us worthy of enlightenment. I'm going home. Come on Monk—we'll call in an order from Nobu's on our way for dinner. Mai—call us if anything _worthwhile_ comes up."

Monk had opened his mouth to object, but when she mentioned Nobu's, his snapped his mouth shut and shrugged.

Mai nodded and let out her own little sigh as she sipped her tea. Lately, she felt like her friends were coming and going more often than actually staying. She would have liked to spend more than an hour and a half with her friends, but she knew that they had a life beyond her. Mai looked over and John, who had his arms crossed and was staring at one of the coasters on the coffee table intently.

She walked over and sat down in the chair closest to him. "What are you thinking about, John?" She asked, tilting her head to the side.

He didn't answer for a few moments. Then he shrugged and said, "I'm just trying to think about what location that woman Ash could have been talking about. I can really only think of one… You know I spent time in Italy, right? All Catholic priests go there for studies at some point or another."

"Oh, right, of course. Because of the Vatican."

John nodded. "Yes. The only island I can think of that has been deliberately shut down by the government and would be of interest to someone like Naru would probably be Poveglia."

"Poveglia?" The word was hard on Mai's tongue and she scrunched up her nose after saying it. She knew she had butchered it.

"It has a very long and rather dark history. I am not sure how I would feel going there—especially with a team of psychics and spiritualists. It would surely bring about some unwanted attention from the Other Side. It was inhabited as the four-hundreds, if I'm not mistaken. It would surely the be oldest place to be investigated by SPR… if Naru chose to bring any of us, that is," John said. When Mai looked away, her eyes downcast, he added: "but let's not worry about that until we find out for sure what that little visit was all about, okay Mai?"

Mai nodded and smiled but she wasn't sure it really reached her eyes. Now that she knew that Naru had a great deal of notoriety in Europe, she knew it was likely that he would take more experienced people with him. It would be easier to get people from his British team to join him in Italy than it would be to have them all flight out with him. He would probably leave again—leaving her behind.

John finished his tea and dutifully took his empty cup to the sink. He washed it himself and set it on the rack to dry, much to Mai's pleasure. Usually everyone left their dishes for her to do.

"I hope you won't have to stay too late tonight. We're supposed to have more storms. I don't want you to get caught in it," John said. He was gathering his shoes and jacket to leave. "I will see you soon, okay? Take care of yourself, Mai." He gave her a bright smile and she couldn't help but return it. His smile was infectious.

With a wave, he was gone. Mai dropped into one of the chairs at the kitchen table and looked around. It was so quiet again. She could hear Naru and Lin's muffled voices from the other side of their closed door, but they were speaking in English and she couldn't tell what they were saying. They probably wouldn't be out for the rest of the night.

Deciding she could dismiss herself, she stood to finish cleaning the office and then left for the night. She doubted that Naru would even notice her absence until he wanted more tea.

000

 _Author's Notes: so, I just want to clarify something. I actually do quite like the whole NaruxMai ship. And we will get there. If there's anything anyone knows about my stories, it's that I'm not romance heavy and when it's in the stories, it comes after a long build up. I like for the characters to come to a natural partnership after a series of ups and downs. And right now, it's certainly a 'down.' In my mind, Naru is feeling like he has to distance himself from Mai because he thinks she confuses him for Gene and he simply can't handle that with his unrealized feelings. He thinks he's doing it for her, but he's doing it for him and it's hurting both of them._

 _Right now, when someone speaks in English, it is in italics. Once they get to Europe, it will be the other way around. Japanese will be in italics, because they will mostly be speaking English._

 ** _Gally619:_** _I am a cosplayer and I totally fall into the category of "Halloween is time for me to pull something non-elaborate out of my closet because it isn't a convention." I won't be doing much this year. My wedding anniversary is November 1_ _st_ _so I'm hoping my husband plans something for us on Halloween… Thanks for your review!_

 ** _Theatis:_** _Thank you for reviewing! Hopefully you stuck with it after the last two chapters! I won't be a super long story, but I hope to make it satisfactory!_

 ** _Oxybry:_** _I'm glad you're interested! In this story, I'm actually going to go with "everyone knows about Oliver but no one talks about it." It's easier for them to maintain the status quo if they ignore the things he didn't originally reveal about themselves. Mai, however, isn't aware that everyone else knows by this point. Hope you'll stick with the story! Thanks for the review!_

 ** _Rebecca:_** _Thanks for reading!_

 ** _Crazyanimefreak15:_** _I hope the reveal wasn't too lack luster! Or the… half reveal. More information will be explained next chapter! Thanks for your review!_

 _Everyone else, please let me know what you think!_

 _Ever Your Servant,_

 _A.F_


	5. Chapter 5

Ciao Poveglia

Rated: T

Shibuya Paranormal Research receives a special invitation to a 'psychic summit' being hosted at the infamously haunted Poveglia island. Though crossing half the globe with his team is not ideal, Naru simply cannot pass up the chance to get into the normally locked down location. [Rated T, possibly M for gore later.]

000

 **Day 11, Hour: 17:46**

The SPR office was closed for a week. Mai had been snoozing peacefully in her bed the morning after meeting Ash when Naru called her and told her that he would be doing research and needed the office to himself for a few days. He would call her when he needed her again. After three days of radio silence from the Big Boss, Mai started to wonder if he had indirectly fired her, or if it were her paranoia getting to her.

She decided that it was just her paranoia on two days after that. Masako had _called_ her to ask her why Naru wasn't letting anyone into the office. Mai was relieved to hear that it wasn't just her being blocked out, but Masako as well. Ayako wasn't particularly concerned, but then again, Ayako wasn't relying on a bi-weekly paycheck to help support herself, so she didn't quite understand Mai's initial fears.

After being barricaded in his office for a full seven days, he finally let the team back in on the eighth day after meeting Ash. In fact, he called the entire team together and even bought take out, which was a suitable enough bribe to make sure that Monk and Yasu showed up. So there they gathered on a Thursday night, all crammed into the office around the kitchen table or the coffee table (Mai, Yasu, and Monk were _forced_ to sit at the kitchen table because Naru said he didn't trust them to not get food on the carpet.)

"As some of you know, a series of events led us to meeting with a woman named Natasha Dementyeva, or _Ash_ as she called herself. A bit of further research uncovered that she is a known pyrokinetic though there is very little on the Fire Spirit she mentioned using. It's possible that those who have worked with her in the West have simply been unable to identify a Fire Spirit due to inexperience," Naru explained and pressed a button on his small clicker.

He had a presentation pulled up on his laptop, which was hooked into a much larger monitor for the group view. The first image Naru had pulled up was of Ash. Mai had no idea where he managed to get it, but she recognized the image of the Coliseum in the background so she knew it was taken in Italy. After he clicked forward, there was a clip of her out in an empty parking lot with a man in a lab coat taking notes. Ash used a lighter to create a flame then manipulated it—threw it back and forth and made it take shapes.

"She is part of a psychic research team that branches off from a research office operated by Lennard Deittman." Naru paused as if he were expecting a reaction. Mai looked around and saw that only Masako, John, and Ayako were nodding in understanding. Naru's brow twitched as his eyes landed on the others who had nothing but blank stares plastered to their faces. "Lennard Deittman is an extremely famous researcher in the field of parapsychology. He's hardly active in the field now, due to his age, but he continues his research casually with the help of his team."

A new image appeared on the screen. It was an older man, in his seventies, if Mai were to guess, wearing a nice suit and holding a book in his hand. Now that she saw the picture, she realized that Naru had a few books by the man on his bookshelf.

"Though Deittman himself has never exhibited any sort of psychic or spiritual abilities, he does employ a number of _heavy hitters_ , so to speak. The woman who leads his team in the field is a woman named Desdemona deMarquis. She specializes in psychomentry and she's very good at what she does. She is frequently sought after in high profile cases—she helped find a French ambassador's kidnapped child a few years ago and has been in the spotlight of her field ever since." A woman with long, black hair in soft waves with poreceline white skin and red lips appeared on the screen. Mai would have related her to Snow White if it hadn't been for the slight arrogant, even malicious, smirk on her face.

Masako gave a little bit of a huff and then looked away, covering part of her face with her long kimono sleeve.

 _I bet they've met,_ Mai thought with some amusement. Both were famous psychics. Mai wouldn't be surprised if they had met and didn't get along one bit.

"Markus and Isabella Valentinian," Naru continued, pulling up an image of two people. It was of a young man and woman who looked very similar. They were both very pale with pale blonde hair. In a way, Mai thought they that they were both… striking. Almost vampiric, actually. With the way they were seated, the woman in a long charcoal dress sitting at a high backed chair with the man in a similar colored suit, standing with his hand on her shoulder, she felt like they could have been straight out of a novel. "Markus has never exhibited any abilities himself, but some have suggested that he has a telepathic link with his sister—his twin sister."

Mai couldn't be positive, but she was sure that she saw Naru almost flinch at the word. He was putting on a brave face, but he seemed to hurry passed the word to keep from dwelling on it. "Isabella is mute. She was born mute, but started exhibiting her own abilities at an early age. She is known as an automatic writer. Some have hypothesized that her sort of disability has made her more attune to the spirit world."

"Father Maximilian Grunwald is their primary exorcist. Unlike our team, which at time focuses on exorcising spirits, this team is more interested in collected information on spiritual activity. Their aim is contact and document their experiences to help supplement the overall field of paranormal study," Naru said and clicked to the next image. It was a black and white photo that had been taken for a German paper—it was the entire Deittman team.

"I've met Father Grunwald," John said brightly, munching on his egg rolls, "he's a great guy. One of the best exorcists I've ever seen. He's usually sent all over Europe on Vatican recommendations."

Naru nodded, apparently agreeing with John. "Yes, that is true. He does not always accompany the Deittman team but often will on important cases. The reason I am explaining all of this is because the invitation I received from Natasha Dementyeva is an invitation to join them in a gathering of sorts—from what I gather, they have invited a few of the notable parapsychology researchers and their teams for a week trip to Venice, Italy. Half of it will be spent in the city of Venice while the other half is to be on the island of Poveglia."

There was an audible gasp from everyone in the room—besides John and Mai. However this time, Mai didn't have a blank expression on her face. She nodded along thoughtfully.

Naru looked at her, a brow raised. "Do you know what Poveglia is, Mai?"

Mai sat up straighter and scowled at Naru, crossing her arms. "Yes. I. Do." She turned her nose up and _'humphed.'_

"Then tell me about it."

 _Oh_ she was _so_ glad for John's incite the week prior. It caused her to go research it during her time off work in case it _was_ what Naru was going to bring up.

"Well, Poveglia is an island just outside of Venice. It was inhabited during the late Roman Empire but was eventually abandoned because of nearby conflict. It was used to house Boubonic Plague patients and then a few centuries later, Black Death patients. People went there to die. Experts believe that tens of thousands of Venetian citizens died there and were burned when they ran out of space to bury them. They believe that most of the island is actually made up of human remains. Um…." She pursed her lips and looked off, away from Naru, trying to remember some more of the details she had read.

"Oh, right, it was eventually turned into a mental institution—and asylum. It's been said that there was a particularly twisted doctor who frequently lobotomized patients in crude ways. Some say even went on to torture patients for the fun of it. He jumped out of the bell tower, saying that the spirits of the island made him do it. No one knows if that's true though. Some people think he was pushed out." Mai finished her summary and sat back, hoping that her knowledge was suitable.

Naru might have looked vaguely impressed, if he were anyone else. But since he was Naru the Narcissist, he didn't give Mai so much as a nod.

"There have been so many accounts of the paranormal on the island that the Italian Tourism Department shut it down because they felt that it gave off an impression they would rather not have. People have still been able to get to the island, though it has been under the cover of night through technically illegal means. The government does not typically open the island up to paranormal researchers because they are trying to sell of a ninety-nine year lease on the island, but since they've had no one interested, they have allowed Deittman to rent it for a few days," Naru said. He let the rest of the slide show play through, showing image after image of the island. Some were rather nice exterior images, others were haunting interior shots, and others were ghastly photos of uncovered burials

"Lin and I have spent the past few days tracking down information on Deittman's gathering. We do know a few other people going—there is another European team invited as well as a few of their American consultants. It seems that Deittman believes that gathering a large group of psychics and spiritualists together is the spark needed to make a well documented connection to the Other Side. After some thought, Lin and I are inclined to accept the invitation. However, before we do, we need to determine who is coming with us."

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Masako asked. The look in her eye told Mai that she was genuinely concerned over the situation. "A place like that… It would be the darkest place we've ever gone. It would be very bad, especially if Deittman is correct."

"That is why we are _asking_ who wants to come with us rather than scheduling anyone. This is volunteer based only," Naru said, turning the monitor off to keep from distracting the group.

There was silence after. Mai looked around and she was surprised to see that not one of her teammates seemed eager to go. John looked the most uncomfortable, as if he were really having a battle in his mind. Masako had her usual façade in place which possibly surprised Mai the most—going to such a famous place would have otherwise been right up Masako's ally.

It seemed that the SPR team was ready to say 'no' as a whole.

"I'll go," Mai said suddenly, sitting up.

"Mai, look, this isn't—"

"No, Ayako, I'm going. This is probably a once in a life time opportunity. It would be a great experience for me to base an end of term paper on for my parapsychology course at the university. Besides," she turned and gave Naru a bright smile, "we can't let Naru go all by himself! Who else would make him tea!"

Naru opened his mouth and for a moment, Mai thought that he was going to object to her coming. He didn't have the chance to, however, because Yasu immediately spoke up.

"Well if Mai's going, then I _have_ to go. I can't have her outshining me! I've always wanted to go to Europe. I never thought my first time would be to go ghost hunting!" He said with a laugh, setting his food down and rubbing his palms together in excitement.

"Alright, fine, Monk and I are in," Ayako sighed, flipping her hair over one shoulder.

"Woah, wait, you can't go volunteering me for things!"

Ayako rolled her eyes. "Are you telling me you'll let Mai go into that place with just a handful of foreign psychics to _maybe_ protect her?"

"Well no…" Monk said, giving off an almost pouting look. "Of course I'll go. But _you_ can't go saying what I will or won't do! We aren't married, ya' know!"

Ayako didn't respond. She instead shrugged and became very interested in her nails. Mai figured that the other woman sometimes forgot that she and Monk were no longer considered a couple.

"I guess if everyone else is going, I'll go too," said John. "Besides, it would probably be good to have someone who knows at least a little bit of Italian. I'm not sure I can say I think this is a good idea, but we've always been okay, if we work as a team."

 _That's the spirit, John_ , Mai thought and looked over at him with a smile. He returned it with a nod. Then they all turned their attention to Masako, who had barely blinked, even over the display of comradeship.

"I will have to think on it. I have my own filming schedule to uphold so I simply cannot commit on a whim. You may provide me with the information, and I will follow up with you."

In other words, that was Masako trying to say _I am an important person myself and I can't/won't just standby to answer your every beck and call,_ but in her usual passive aggressive sort of way. Mai and Masako may have been on better terms now than ever before—having both been rejected Naru seemingly having brought them together—but the doll-like girl still had a way of getting under Mai's skin.

"That's fine, Miss Hara. Since it seems that majority of the team is going, I will still respond to the invitation with tentative numbers. Now, let's talk about the next major point—passports," Naru said and picked up a folder. From within, he pulled out packets of paper and Mai sighed.

 _There's always gotta be a bureaucratic side to these things…_

With that, she stood and went to grab pens for everyone as well we start some tea. It would be a long night.

000

 _Author's Notes: I hope I'm not boring you guys with the tedious nature of international planning! I can attest to how much work goes into planning to take a large group overseas. (Going through all of that right now.) The set up of this story will be more about character interactions and some events, though not necessarily paranormal. Once they get to Poveglia, it will be much darker. So…. Enjoy the fun while it lasts?_

 _Poll: I have warned that it may go up to M for gore in later chapters._ _ **IF**_ _there ends up being a character death or two… Who should it be and how would readers feel about it? I would really like some feedback on the matter…_

 _Poll #2: would it be helpful if I made a tumblr or something and posted images of the locations I start referencing since they're almost all real places?_

 ** _Oxybry:_** _I feel like there was so much character development for most of the characters in the show/manga that they all deserve their part! The author originally said that while she counts Naru and Mai as a canon couple, she did not intend to write a romance. I am trying to follow that mindset, though with a bit more romance as it progresses. Hopefully. Maybe._

 ** _Guest (possibly Gally619?):_** _thank you! Hopefully it will all go well! Thank you for reviewing!_

 ** _Bunny angel:_** _Whether people believe in the supernatural or not (though I feel like everyone who reads this fandom has to believe in it at least a little bit!) you can't have a place that suffered so much death and tragedy and_ _ **not**_ _expect it to become a terrifying place for one reason or another! Poveglia is certainly one of the most tragic places in the world._

 ** _Rebecca:_** _thanks for reading and reviewing! There is some more day to day, character stuff for the next few chapters, but there will be multiple chapters on Poveglia so hopefully plenty of horror to come!_

 _Thanks for reading! Let me know your thoughts!_

 _Ever Your Servant,_

 _A.F_


	6. Chapter 6

Ciao Poveglia

Rated: T

Shibuya Paranormal Research receives a special invitation to a 'psychic summit' being hosted at the infamously haunted Poveglia island. Though crossing half the globe with his team is not ideal, Naru simply cannot pass up the chance to get into the normally locked down location. [Rated T, possibly M for gore later.]

000

 **Day 42, hour 11:37**

Mai, Monk, and Yasu were the three who needed to file for their passports. Unfortunately, they each had to pay the extra fees for rush processing, and Naru refused to let them write off the cost as a business expense. He claimed it didn't count as a business expense because the team wasn't actually getting paid to go to Italy—he reiterated the fact that the trip was _voluntary_ and that none of them had to go if they felt it wasn't worthwhile.

While Mai spend the next two weeks essentially living off of cheap noodles, she thought about the bright side of things—at least she had waited until she was no longer a minor to get her passport. It would have been so much more difficult for her to get one without a parent or guardian, and it would have ended up being more time and paperwork that she didn't have nor want to complete.

There was a quick successions of knocks at her door just as she slurped down the last of her lunch. Mai hurried to toss her bowl in the sink and ran to open it. "Ayako, you're earlier than I expected—"

The woman barged into Mai's apartment, pushing past her with arms stuffed with numerous shopping bags, and dropping them onto the coffee table with a relieved sigh. "I was sure one of these was going to break. That would have just been the icing on the cake for me today," she said and shook her arms which were aching from the bags.

Mai looked down at the items with her mouth opening and closing in confusion.

"Ayako, we've been over this—"

"Oh-ho! But we haven't! _You_ said that you wouldn't go _out_ and try on dresses you couldn't afford so I brought them _in_." Ayako smirked as she started pulling off her jacket, then tossed it on a nearby chair. "Here's the deal, Mai—either you choose one or two and I return the rest, or you don't choose any and I keep them all and lose all the money I spent on them."

A few days after their initial Poveglia meeting, Naru distributed the itinerary for the _Elite Parapsychology Conference_. The Deittman team had apparently organized a few activities throughout their trip, in addition to the Povelgia segement. In addition to a night tour of 'haunted Venice' and a daytime tour of the Doge's Palace, they had scheduled a Masquerade Ball. Mai hadn't understood the meaning when reading it in English the first time, but Naru was quick to educate her, as always.

Many of the _EPC_ attendees were people who came from important backgrounds—some were born into very wealthy families while others had become famous in their own right. It was expected that there would be some sort of dinner party as there usually was for these sorts of events. It helped to serve as a meet and greet, and helped people make important connections. Deittman, who came from his own wealthy background, was quite willing to air on the side of extravagance.

Unfortunately, that meant that the attendees had to live up to that as well. Mai didn't have many nice clothes, and she thought she had a dress that would have been nice enough, but Ayako was quick to shut it down. She insisted on taking Mai out to get a new dress as an early Christmas gift, but Mai refused. She hated when Ayako tried to spend money on her—even if the woman made it quite clear that she had plenty of it.

Mai liked to be able to support herself. It made her feel grown up and independent, and less like a child they looked at with pity.

"Ayako, please, I don't want to go through this again with you…" Mai said, her eyes pleading for Ayako to drop it.

But she wouldn't. Instead, she started pulling out the dresses—the _gowns —_ one by one. "We aren't going to go through this again. I tried to let you come around to it on your own, but we're running out of time, especially if we need to get something tailored. You _have_ to have something nice, Mai. I don't want you being embarrassed whenever we get there."

It actually kind of hurt to hear Ayako say those words. "Embarrassed? I've never been embarrassed of myself, at least when it comes to my financial situation. I'm proud of myself for getting as far as I have on my own. Why should I be embarrassed just because I don't have a designer dress or something?" She tried to sound defensive rather than emotional, but she doubted she did a good job at it.

She knew she didn't when Ayako's eyes softened. It killed her.

"Oh, honey, I know that. And if this had been any sort of other party, I would agree with you. But this isn't like that—this is a black tie affair with a lot of famous people. Some of them just… aren't very nice. If you want to continue in our field and eventually strike out on your own one day, you want people to remember you… And for the right reasons," Ayako said and gave Mai a softer smile. After Mai shrugged and looked away, Ayako placed a finely manicured hand on her shoulder and squeezed. "Besides, you don't want Naru to take Masako as a date instead of you, do you?"

Though Mai knew that the other woman was trying to joke with her and make her feel better, it really didn't. Ayako didn't know that Mai had already confessed her feelings to Naru and that he had denied her with a pretty awful and soul crushing reasoning. Mai sighed.

"So Masako is going then? I thought she would never make up her mind."

"I guess she was hoping that Naru would _beg_ her to come or something. As if he would do something like that," Ayako replied, waving her hand in the air. "Anyhow, don't try to change the subject. I did some research and apparently they sell masks on every corner in Venice, so we'll just get ours there. They'll make great souvenirs too."

Mai didn't feel like arguing, so she nodded and looked at the dresses being laid before her. She was suddenly feeling very tired and Ayako had only been there for five minutes.

"I only picked dresses that I thought you would at least consider wearing and that would fit in my dress's garment bag. That will make it easier to ship them. What do you think?" Ayako finished laying out the last of the five dresses.

They were all very nice and they all probably cost a month's worth of rent.

They were each a different color: pink, dark purple, lavender, scarlet, and black. Right away, Mai knew that she could rule out two of the dresses. "I think red is more your color, Ayako, not mine,"

The woman snatched up the scarlet dress, a halter top gown with a deep slit up one side. "Hey I may like red, but that doesn't mean that you can't wear it!"

"What color is your dress?" Mai asked, raising a brown.

Ayako frowned and looked away. "…Red."

"There you go. The two of us can't wear red."

"Fine, how about this black one, huh? _Naru_ loves black," Ayako said, picking up the black dress and thrusting it into Mai's arms. It was Mai's turn to frown.

She looked down at it. It was a nice dress—but it wasn't for her. "Black's not my color either," she said softly before gently putting it back inside the bag it had come from. She didn't need to dress for Naru. If she was going to accept Ayako's gift, then she at least wanted something that made her feel good. Something that made her feel like… her.

"Then what _is_ your color?" Ayako asked and placed the scarlet dress away as well. She took the two filled bags and set them next to the door.

Mai shrugged and picked up the other three dresses. She walked into her room, and the other woman was quick to follow. Once she was inside, she held the pink dress up to herself and tilted her head to the side, looking over her image in the mirror. It was a cute dress, but it was knee length with a fuller skirt. She felt like it made her look like a ballerina.

She set it down and held up the lavender dress while Ayako leaned in the doorframe. The lavender was also nice, but she didn't care for the lightweight material or the cut of the skirt. She held up the dark purple one last. She didn't think she would like the color on herself, but Mai was surprised to find it kind of okay…

"You should try that one on," Ayako said, "it has a little bustle in the back so you can either leave it long with a bit of a train, or you can bustle it up and it helps give you more of backside. It's perfect for petite girls like you."

It took a glance over to the other woman before Mai realized that Ayako was poking fun at her. Ayako liked to flaunt her extremely 'gifted' physical aspects of herself, and she liked to tease Mai about her lack thereof.

"Ayako, that's mean! I can't help the way I'm built!" Mai shouted, stomping her foot.

Ayako merely laughed and backed out of the room. "That's why the dress does the helping! Now put it on and let me see!"

Much to Mai's dismay, she did end up liking the dress. At least well enough. Ayako promised her that she would return the other dresses, but only while they were out getting shoes and jewelry. When the day had started, Mai had foolishly thought that they would be going over their packing list and itinerary. She should have known that something was up when Ayako offered to come over before noon. The woman hardly rolled out of bed before ten and was rarely out the door before lunch.

As the day progressed, Mai forgot about her irritation for Ayako, especially after she showed her a picture of the dress she was wearing. It was _gorgeous._ Somewhere deep in her subconscious, Mai thought that maybe Ayako didn't want Mai to embarrass _her_ while they were all out together, and that was why she insisted on the dress.

They bought shoes for their dresses and more. Ayako bought Mai another pair of more casual heels, telling her to wear them around a bit to help her get used to wearing high heels. Mai knew she needed all of the practice she could get to keep from making a fool out of herself, too.

The two ladies enjoyed and early dinner, taking advantage of the cool but sunny weather. By the time Ayako dropped Mai off back at her apartment, she was once again looking forward to her Europe trip with all traces of irritation (and sadness) gone from her thoughts.

 **Day 51, Hour 1:07**

Mai woke up with gasp, clutching her sheets with white knuckles. She tried to catch her breath and calm her heart beat, but instead, she found herself lurching out of her bed and running to the bathroom. She barely made it in time before she collapsed to her knees, vomiting into her toilet.

Her mouth tasted… ashy. She felt weak—cold and clammy. Her body ached and her head spun. Parts of her skin itched and others were sensitive to the touch. She felt like she was knocking on Death's door.

 _Oh god, Lin's picking me up in five hours, please don't be sick…_

She sat leaning against her tub, half way between sleep and delirium for another hour before falling asleep on her bathroom floor.

 **Day 31, Hour 3:07**

When she awoke again, it took her a few moments to recall what happened. If she hadn't seen her own stomach content in the toilet bowl, she might have thought it was all a dream. She felt fine. Any hints of sickness were gone, though her throat hurt a little bit. She flushed the contents away and went to the sink, sipping some water and splashing some water onto her face.

She brought a towel to her face and wiped it away. When she brought it away and looked at herself in the mirror, she dropped her towel. For a moment, it looked like there were marks all over her skin—disgusting boils that made her look like a creature that should never see the light of day.

Mai picked up her towel and set it on the sink with a sigh. "If this is supposed to be a warning, please stop. I'm going to go no matter what."

Her dream-like warnings hadn't occurred since Naru left Japan with Gene's body. No matter how often she called out to her spirit guide, he didn't come to her. This night was the first connection with the supernatural that she had in months—and it wasn't the same as before. It wasn't the same as when she had Gene to help her through it.

She trudged back to her bed and collapsed into her nest of blankets. She slept peacefully for the rest of the night.

 **Day 51, Hour 6:43**

She didn't even move until she awoke to a loud pounding from her front door. It took her a moment to wipe the grogginess from her eyes. She could hear Lin calling her name, though she couldn't tell if it was in an angry or concerned tone.

Mai jolted up and looked for her clock, which was on the opposite side of the room to force her out of bed to turn off her alarm. It was unplugged. Her phone was nowhere to be found, even though she knew she had put it on its charger at her bedside table the night before. Ignoring the oddity for a moment, she jumped from her bed and ran to her door.

When she opened it, she saw her phone sitting in the middle of the hallway, flashing with six missed messages.

"Oh no, oh no, nonono!" They were all going to _kill_ her—her teammates that was. She snatched it from the floor and ran to the front door to let Lin in, shouting apologies as she went.

000

 _Author's Notes: whew. It took me longer to write the second half of this than I thought. I just couldn't figure out how to wrap up the chapter. However a burst of inspiration came so that I could finish it. I hope you guys don't think I'm making Mai too whiney. I remember what it was like to be in that 18-19 stage and I feel like it's natural for her to lose a bit of her bright-and-happy-nature for more of a matured-and-subdued sense, though not too much!_

 _After some thought, I decided I would make a tumblr page just to help provide some images to the locations I'm using and what not. Some will be pictures I search out and use as examples, others will be pictures I've taken and have referenced. You can find it at: . com_

 ** _Oxybry_** _: honestly, if you hadn't said English wasn't your first language, I wouldn't have known! I'm glad you don't mind the character development. I think it's important for a 'serious' story. I haven't yet decided if there would be some sort of character death, so it may not happen at all! Thank you for your great feedback! I hope the extra images help as the chapters go on!_

 ** _Rebecca:_** _Thanks for reviewing! I have definitely thought up some good moments of horror, at least I think so! I am excited to start getting into the real story now!_

 _Thanks for reading everyone!_

 _Ever Your Servant,_

 _A.F._


	7. Chapter 7

Ciao Poveglia

Rated: T

Shibuya Paranormal Research receives a special invitation to a 'psychic summit' being hosted at the infamously haunted Poveglia island. Though crossing half the globe with his team is not ideal, Naru simply cannot pass up the chance to get into the normally locked down location. [Rated T, possibly M for gore later.]

000

 **Day 51, Hour 10:35**

Their trip did not get off to a good start. Because of Mai's _inability to wake up on time_ , as Naru put it, they were running late. Very late. He did let her hurry and take a quick shower, which Mai was grateful for after her bout of sickness, only a few hours earlier, even if Naru did say it was because he didn't want to sit in the van with her smelly self. Lin loaded her things into the van while she took the world's fastest shower and threw on clothes she had luckily picked out the night before, just to be prepared.

Naru was cranky, she could tell right away. His brow seemed to twitch as soon as he saw her that morning and he hadn't stopped making snide remarks about her sleeping habits. She continuously tried to tell him that she simply hadn't slept well so she hadn't heard her alarm, but that wasn't a good enough reason for him. She can't say she blamed him. She was pretty sure this was the first time she hadn't ever answered one of his early morning phone calls. He probably thought she had died or something and was having Lin prepare to open the door.

Regardless, his teasing had continued throughout the car ride with Yasuhara sitting next to her blocking out Naru's whining. She wished she could be like Yasu—he seemed impervious to Naru's glares and cold quips. He slept through it all. Of course, he woke the moment Mai said something that she couldn't take back.

 _"Next time we go on a big, international trip, Naru, you're more than welcome to stay over and wake me up yourself, oh perfect one."_ She had said it with irritation in her voice, and she said it because she knew that Naru was awful at getting up early as well and hated sleeping in strange places. She, of course, hadn't meant it in a serious way. It was definitely _not_ an invitation.

From the corner of her eye, she saw the evil grin Yasu was giving her, a glint in his eye. He wisely kept his mouth shut, though Mai assumed it was mostly because Naru had finally fallen silent as well and they all just wanted some quiet for the hour's ride to the airport.

Check in had been a disaster because of all of their bags, and then security got even worse. Lin of all people was pulled aside for a random security screening. He could barely contain his rage as the group stood by, idly watching as he went through a thorough pat down. He was asked a few questions and did his best to answer them but it became harder with each answer he had to give. He was about two words away from getting a thorough strip search when Masako approached one of the other airline security agents.

With a smile and a giggle, Masako had the blushing agent retrieving Lin in moments. _"He's seen my show. I said Lin was my camera man. I promised him an autograph."_

After, they went straight to their terminal in a rush, afraid they would miss their flight.

And they would have. If the flight hadn't been delayed because the captain overslept.

So there they sat at the gate, already tired and grumpy. Lin refused to say a word to anyone, which was normal, but his aura of extreme anger washed over them. If there had been anymore seats open in the terminal, most of them out have probably opted to move as far away from his as they possibly could.

"This wouldn't have happened if you hadn't overslept," Naru said lowly, staring at Mai. He had his arms crossed and his carrying on bag protectively between his knees.

Mai rolled her eyes and slumped in her seat. _Back to this then._ "Even if I hadn't overslept, the captain still would have, and we would still be right here." She sighed loudly and rolled her head from side to side on the back of her seat. "Maybe the spirits don't want us to go to Poveglia."

Naru stiffened and his stare at her intensified. She fought the urge to swallow hard. "What did you say?"

"I just… I meant, you know, the captain and all. And Lin being pulled by security. It was a joke, Naru, 'ha ha?' I wasn't serious."

"I have the distinct feeling you aren't telling me something, Mai. My feelings are rarely wrong," he said.

She wanted to smack him in his perfect face. His feelings were rarely wrong? _Yeah right! What about you thinking I love Gene instead of you? You stupid, annoying, narcissistic…_

"I didn't mean anything, Naru. I just remember reading that things like boats wouldn't start when people tried to go to the island. Maybe it's the same thing—something's trying to keep us from going. Geeze, let it go." Mai shook her head and sighed loudly. Instead of continuing to listen to his nonsense, she reached into her sidebag and pulled out her iPod. She had downloaded some basic language learning audio books—some for English and some for Italian. Even one in the Venetian dialect. They had a twelve hour flight to Rome where they would then take the train to Venice. Because of the time difference, they would arrive around 16:00 that same day in Rome. They would have been awake for almost twenty four hours, but it couldn't be helped.

Either way, it was plenty of time to study up on her languages.

Or sleep. Which is what she ended up doing after only a few minutes of listening to her audio books.

 **Day 51, Hour 17:58 (In Italy)**

It took ages for Mai to get off of the plane, and she simply couldn't do it fast enough. Her legs ached from having to sit still for so long (which just wasn't normal for her usual hyper active self,) and she had a headache that just wouldn't go away. She had managed to sleep on the plane for a while, but she had a bad pain in her neck from the way she awkwardly laid her head against Monk's shoulder.

Lin, Naru, Masako and Ayako weren't exactly chipper after the plane ride, but they were doing better than the rest of the group. They had opted to upgrade their tickets to first class and pay the difference. Though the cost had been outrageous, Mai couldn't exactly blame them. If she had the money, she would have done it too for such a long flight.

Monk nearly scored his own seat in first class when Ayako offered to pay for it. However, the two had apparently had yet another fight and she then refused to upgrade his ticket. He said he didn't care since he would rather sit and watch over Mai, but he was likely regretting that decision in the end.

Collecting the bags was also an awful experience. Though they waited and waited, Mai's bag took over an hour to show up. It had managed to get lost during unloading and was found after some searching. They were too tired to complain. They sat, staring at the luggage belt, with bags under their eyes. Mai nearly cried when she saw her teal suitcase finally emerge from the depths of the airport.

 **Day 51, Hour 23:39**

Though she was so utterly exhausted, Mai couldn't help but feel mystified once they left the train station. It was so dark and the streetlights barely shed enough light, but it was… magical.

Venice was unlike anything she had ever seen before. It was what she expected, but she could never have anticipated what it would feel like to be in a town with such history. Again she felt like she could cry, but for a totally different reason than before.

Naru used his phone—a different one, she noticed, that the one he used in Japan—to help them navigate to their hotel. The Hotel Canal Grande had a floor set aside for their team while they stayed in Venice. It required them to cross the other side of the main canal, the Grande Canal, Mai supposed, and walk through a few nooks and crannies. It was nearly silent as they walked, with only the sound of their footsteps and suitcases echoing off the high stone walls to keep them company.

Once they entered their first alleyway that was nearly completely dark, Mai started feeling rather creeped out. It was eerie to be so alone and to have such poor lighting, especially in what she thought was a rather popular city. It seemed like everything was shut down. Finally, they turned left into an opening that she could only describe as a courtyard.

The bridges were cement, or so Mai thought, but most of the walkways were stone. They could be a little uneven to walk on, but there were no vehicles driving on them so the unevenness didn't particularly matter. The entire courtyard was filled with cobblestones as well, with a few trees in the center. Their hotel was at the end of the open area along the canal, on the right hand side.

The woman working the desk smiled at them brightly as they entered.

"Ah, _buona notte_ , you must be the Davis party, yes?"

Naru stepped forward with his passport in hand. "Yes. Our entire party is here."

"You were originally expecting one more, is that correct? Will that person be joining you later?" The woman asked, turning to type into her computer.

"No, it will be just the eight of us. If you don't mind, we would prefer to take the keys and work out the rooming arrangements on our own."

"Of course, Signore Davis, that is no problem. Please allow me to get someone to load your luggage for you. One moment." The woman stepped away from her desk and disappeared behind a door. A tall man with dark hair and olive skin reappeared with her.

He loaded up the teams bags—which were filled with travel necessities rather than equipment—and told them that they would be on the second floor. Naru, Mai, Masako, and Ayako piled in the elevator while the other men walked up the stairs. Apparently the hotel didn't count the ground floor as level one, however, so they ended up walking two flights of stairs.

There were five rooms on the floor, two on either side of the elevator and one across from it—there was even a small sitting room between two of the rooms, furnished in a Victorian style that fit with the rest of the hotel. He left the cart in the middle of the of the floor, next to a table with a vase of fresh flowers, saying that he could come back for it later, and then left the keys for them to divvy up.

"Lin and I will take the Doge suite, Ayako, Mai, take the Dogessa suit. Monk and Yasuhara you'll have room number one, Miss Hara, room three, and John, room two." Naru took his own key and picked his bag off of the dolly. Without another word, he went straight to the room straight across the hall from the elevator.

The group was too tired to argue. They would only be in the rooms for four nights anyhow before going to Poveglia, so it wasn't worth the fight.

The Dogessa Suite was perpendicular to the Doge Suite, opposite the sitting room. When Ayako and Mai entered, they found that they would be sharing a queen sized bed—though the mattress felt like it was two twins pushed together. It wasn't the first time the women had shared and they didn't particularly mind. They had a large closet which Ayako insisted on using before her clothes got any further wrinkled, and a nice bathroom with a glass shower and stone tile wall.

Mai contemplated a quick shower before going to sleep, but her body wouldn't allow her to even stand in the shower (though the showerhead was a detachable handheld, so she really could have sat on the floor if she wanted, or even taken a bath.)

Instead, Mai opened her suitcase and pulled out her pajamas. She didn't even care that Ayako was still in the room when she changed. With a sigh, she went around to the side of the bed set just about a foot from the wall and collapsed. She was out in moments, and she didn't even feel Ayako pull the blanket up over her.

000

 _Author's Notes: Two things: I wasn't originally planning on updating today, but since I had a handful of reviews, I decided to do it! See! They_ _ **do**_ _make a difference! Second thing: the room Mai is staying in is the room I stayed in while in Venice. In fact, most of Mai's reactions to first seeing the down (while exhausted) is pretty much exactly what I was thinking when I got there. If you ever have the chance to travel internationally, I HIGHLY recommend spending at least a week there. I only got a few days, and I am seriously considering trying to pull together the finances to go back. It is so surreal and unlike anything else I've ever experienced._

 _Let's try this again: .com . If that still doesn't work… just try searching for ciao-poveglia and see if it comes up?_

 ** _Bunny angel:_** _did a certain spirit guide come back? Or is it the spirits of Poveglia trying to warn our protagonist? *wiggles eyebrows* who knooowwwsss! (I guess I know. Haha.) Thanks for reviewing!_

 ** _Oxybry:_** _opp, yes, that was a typo I didn't catch! That's what happens when silly author's like me don't have a beta reader! I suppose it could be worse, if that's the only glaring thing anyone had bothered to point out to me! I'm usually much worse, to be honest! (but to other readers, that is_ _ **not**_ _an indication that you should start sending me all of my typos!) I sometimes channel some Makino from Hana Yori Dango, I think, when I write for Mai—hence the discussion over wealthy people and dressing up! Hopefully you'll stick with me while we wait to see if Gene makes an appearance…. Thanks, as always, for your wonderful review!_

 ** _Rebecca:_** _thanks for that catch—I thought there was a chance it would disappear so I tried to move the ".com" thinking that would help… but apparently it didn't! hopefully the repost here works! The build up to fluffy moments will be…. A slow burn, as some people say. It will happen, but in a subtle way as the story progresses. There is a reason for him being rather cold to her, but that will take a while to be revealed!_

 ** _GreenDrkness:_** _Hmm… I think your feeling may be… correct! Silly Mai, always forgetting other people actually care about her! I do agree that the story is a bit slow… I have a tendency to want a build up to the climax, and sometimes it bites me in the butt! On the plus side, I try to update quickly to make up for my shorter, slower chapters? I think that's a plus at least? Anyhow, thank you sooo much for reading and reviewing! Hope you'll stick with me!_

 _Everyone else, thanks for reading!_

 _Ever Your Servant,_

 _A.F_


	8. Chapter 8

Ciao Poveglia

Rated: T

Shibuya Paranormal Research receives a special invitation to a 'psychic summit' being hosted at the infamously haunted Poveglia island. Though crossing half the globe with his team is not ideal, Naru simply cannot pass up the chance to get into the normally locked down location. [Rated T, possibly M for gore later.]

000

 **Day 52, Hour 8:16**

It felt as if she had only been granted a few hours of sleep before Yasuhara was pounding on the door to her room. Ayako groggily responded, throwing a few rude words into her incoherent sentence. When she made no move to go to the door, Mai forced herself from under the warm covers and put her feet on the cold marble floor. She barely managed to remember to grab a sweater to cover her thin pajama shirt before opening the door.

"What is it, Yasu?" She asked, squinting against the light in the hall.

"Naru sent me to make sure you two get up. We only have a little bit of time to get down to breakfast then get going, so you two should probably start moving… Unless you're keen on Naru seeing your _lovely_ morning glow," he replied with a grin. Mai didn't need to look at herself in the mirror to know she looked an absolute mess.

Mai rubbed the bridge of her nose. "Sometimes, I want to slap him in his grinning face so hard…"

"You're thinking aloud again, Mai, better be careful. Anyhow, give Ayako a good shake then hurry to get downstairs before they pack up breakfast." Yasu ruffled her messy hair and turned to go back to his own room, whistling along happily.

How some people could be such good morning persons, she would never know.

 **Day 52, Hour 8:45**

Ayako was just starting to get up by the time Mai left for breakfast. They closed up the dining section at 9:30, and she didn't want to miss her chance to sit and eat in peace. They had been so rushed over the past few days that she never had more than five minutes to gobble down a meal and then be on the move.

Masako and Naru were already halfway through their breakfast by the time she made her own plate. "May I join you?" Mai asked, looking at the empty seat next to Masako. The seat next to Naru would have been more comfortable, since it was a cushioned bench seat, but she knew he wouldn't be keen on sharing.

"That's fine," Masako sighed, though she hardly sounded convincing, "I'm sure we will be done shortly anyhow."

It's true, they did look like their plates were just about empty. Naru turned and raised his hand, catching one of the waiters walking by. "I'll have some more tea."

His ornate tea cup, Mai noticed, was already mostly filled. She said down and tried to keep her smile rather small and casual. If she hadn't known better, she would think that Naru did it just to have an excuse to sit at the breakfast table a bit longer.

"Is this food very similar to the sort they serve for breakfast in England?" Mai asked, trying to make polite conversation. She knew that Naru wasn't much of a morning person either, but he seemed to be in a good enough mood. She might as well take advantage of that.

He didn't answer for a few moments and Mai thought that perhaps she had been mistaken. "Rather similar, yes. Though I think you would find more breakfast meats at a standard British hotel. You cannot rely on what a hotel serves as an ideal sample of a place's culture. They want to appeal to the tourists, not the locals."

Mai nodded as she bit into her fluffy pastry filled with a hazelnut spread.

The waited returned with Naru's tea. "Would you like anything to drink, Miss?"

Mai had a bit of difficulty with his accent and she had to think about what he was asking her. From the corner of her eye, she saw Naru open his mouth. Before he had a chance to speak for her, though, she answered.

"Tea, per favore," she said and smiled at the waiter. He returned the smile and nodded before turning to go through the doors to the kitchen.

"In many cases, the locals would rather you speak in English than try to force out some butchered Italian," Naru said and took a long sip of his tea, watching her as he did so. She shrugged.

"I am hoping to make this trip as educational as possible. Even if that means using some _butchered_ Italian." She gave him a _hmph!_ and took a bigger bite of her pastry, chewing it more aggressively than particularly necessary.

She didn't see the small smile Naru gave her before returning his attention to his tea. Masako excused herself just moments later with her jaw clenched.

 **Day 52, hour 10:37**

Mai nearly squealed in delight as she made her way to the back of the waterbus. It was packed with people going about their daily commute to and from work and home, but most were squeezed in near the boat's opening gate. There were two seats open at the very back, through the plexiglass doors that helped keep heat inside during the colder months. Mai was completely content to sit in the open air seating since it meant that she could see more of the city. John and Yasuhara were hot on her tails, not wanting her to get separated from the English speakers.

"This is so amazing!" She said and sat down in one of the seats that faced the back of the boat. She could see more from that seat, even if it was after the waterbus had already passed a location.

It wasn't a very bright, sunny day, but she knew that was to be expected with their time of the year. Starting in October, the weather turned and high tide started to take over. John had told her that they might have to buy a pair of high rubber boots, if the tide was too high and they wanted to walk around.

She pulled her jacket around herself a bit tighter to protect her from the spray that the boat generated after it started picking up speed. Yasu sat down next to her while John held onto the edge of Yasu's seat to help keep his balance.

Mai was completely taken with the architecture. The buildings looked very similar to one another initially, besides their colors of course, but upon further inspection, she saw that the widows were not uniform nor were the trims along the rooftops. Each building had its own bit of character. It was amazing seeing all of the colors as they went by—it seemed to be a requirement that no two buildings next to each other could be the same color. There red, blues, teals, a few greens, some yellows, and even some purples. It was all so… pleasing to look at.

They sat and chatter for a while, taking in the sights as they cruised by. Their stop was at the very end of the 'bus' line, and the other commuters stopped off along the way. John was able to sit down after the next stop cleared out, and shortly after, Ayako and Monk joined them. Naru, Lin, and Masako seemed to want to stay inside. Mai supposed she couldn't blame Masako—even half way across the world, she was wearing her expensive kimonos.

 **Day 52, Hour 17:43**

The SPR team spent most of their day in Piazza San Marco, one of the most popular places to be at any given time. They went on an English speaking tour around the Piazza as well as into Saint Mark's Basilica, though Masako didn't make it too long in the Basilica before she started feeling ill. She sat outside of it, away from the spirits, she said, with Lin at her side. Masako's English was about as good (or bad) as Mai's, whether she wanted to admit it or not, and leaving her alone in the plaza wasn't an idea anyone was keen on.

Mai started filling up her camera very quickly. She enjoyed taking pictured of anything and everything—especially herself and her teammates in memorable locations. She thought that they needed as many pictures as possible to memorialize their special occasion. She knew that the SPR team wasn't likely to go traveling international again.

In fact, she was worried that after their trip ended, there wouldn't _be_ a Shibuya Paranormal Research anymore. Naru had her print off most of the team's documents before leaving and she hadn't seen any return information for himself or Lin. She tried to keep the through to the back of her mind so that she could enjoy her 'vacation.'

The Italians were very particular about when they ate their meals. Most of the restaurants closed down for a few hours at a time and reopened for lunch and dinner. When they finished their tours, they were starving but there weren't many places open for them to pop into. They had to ask their tour guide for a recommendation.

So, they ended up at a very touristy pizzeria that was packed with people speaking anything _but_ Italian.

"We're supposed to be at the Rialto Bridge at a bit before 19:00 to meet for the Venice Ghost Tour. After we eat, we should have time to catch the waterbus up to bridge and arrive with a few minutes to spare," Mai said, looking down at her map and sipping on her water.

Ayako poured her a glass of wine, and she was trying to get through it, she really was. But Mai wasn't exactly used to drinking it and it was hard for her to take more than tiny sips. Wine was apparently mandatory with each meal they would have so she figured she might as well make an attempt.

"It's an insult for them to even expect us to enjoy something as tacky as a _Ghost Tour_ ," Masako said with a slight roll of her eyes. "I don't think I will go. Naru, will you escort me back to the hotel? Surely you agree with me, don't you?"

Ayako opened her mouth to snap at Masako, but Naru answered first. "Miss Hara, it would be extremely rude for me to decline the tour after it's been paid for by our host. I may find it a bit silly, yes, but I certainly don't want to look like a fool."

Though his voice had little inflection, Mai was sure that Naru had just snapped at Masako. There was a feeling in the pit of Mai's stomach, one that she had been having for a while, though she couldn't quite put her finger on it. There was something going on with Masako and Naru, she was sure of it. She was upset at the idea, but there was surely more to the matter and Mai couldn't even be sure what the _something going on_ really was.

There was a snicker from next to her as Ayako picked up her water goblet and started sipping from it. Masako was quick to stand.

"I'm sure I don't know what _you_ find so funny," she said, giving a pointed look at Ayako, and then turning to look at Mai with cool eyes. "If you will, please give me your map. I will go back to the hotel on my own. Now."

"Now, now, Masako, no need for that," John, ever the peacekeeper, said and dabbed his mouth with his napkin. "If you're quite ready to go, I will take you back. I remember the way. I'm sure I can meet back up with them afterwards."

Masako looked over at the group, most notably at Naru, who was reading over the agenda for the next two days. When he didn't look up at her, she nodded. "Thank you, John, I would like that."

As she left the restaurant, leaving her bill for SPR to take care of, Mai watched her go before turning her gaze to Naru. She noticed that his eyes weren't moving as he 'read' the page. Instead, he just stared until Masako was out of the pizzeria. When the sound of her wooden sandals stopped echoing through the restaurant, his gaze flickered upwards at Mai.

She jumped and quickly looked down at her map again, trying to ignore the inexplicable tingle that was creeping its way up her spine.

000

 _Author's Notes: hopefully you guys don't find the pacing to be too slow. I know my updates are becoming a bit more sparse. It's harder for me to sit down and write a detailed description of 'a day in the life' than it is to squeeze a bunch of activities into one. I think, for the feel of this story, a more in depth description is better._

 _I just finished chapter 12, which wraps up the masquerade. All I can say is…. "ehehehehe" (imagine it in the guilt, tom hiddleston laugh. You know what I'm talking about.) (I've actually also finished chapter 13, so, at least you know I have a lot written, if not posted! Just keep on me to make sure I update fast!)_

 _Yes, still a few chapters away from Poveglia. I will probably be posting those from Ireland a bit closer to Halloween. My goal is still to have this wrapped up by the 31_ _st_ _. Maybe it will even end that day exactly. Who knows…_

 ** _Oxybry:_** _I definitely prefer manga-Mai better than anime-Mai, but that's mostly because I feel like Mai is often talking IN ALL CAPS ALL THE TIME. But, I actually kinda liked her by the end of the series so though she's super frustrating, I can write for her, haha. Thanks for reviewing!_

 ** _GreenDrkness_** _: unless it's a novel length fic, I try really hard to keep updating quickly. That really only works as long as I have inspiration! Mai certainly has more coming her way—and not a lot of it is good! Hopefully, by the end, it will all be worth it!_

 ** _ShadeWarrior:_** _your review gave me a good chuckle as I read it! Usually I would jump on a chance to have a Beta, but because of how fast I'm updating, I bypass the beta for a quick turn around time! Thank you for review, it really helps keep me motivated!_

 ** _Crazyanimefreak15:_** _thank you for your review! I'm glad you're still reading and I promise, there is *plenty* of bad luck still on its way!_

 ** _Rebecca_** _: I'm glad you were able to find the page! It's hard to make it appear in a way that doesn't make it automatically deleted! You are pretty much correct in everything that you said! If only I could write from Naru's POV, things would make so much more sense… but alas, since this story follows Mai's journey, you're all stuck figuring things out as she does! Thanks so much for your review!_

 _Everyone else, thanks for reading!_

 _Ever Your Servant,_

 _A.F_


	9. Chapter 9

Ciao Poveglia

Rated: T

Shibuya Paranormal Research receives a special invitation to a 'psychic summit' being hosted at the infamously haunted Poveglia island. Though crossing half the globe with his team is not ideal, Naru simply cannot pass up the chance to get into the normally locked down location. [Rated T, possibly M for gore later.]

000

 **Day 53, Hour 8:18**

 _"Mai, Ayako, get upppp, upppp, upppp!"_

Yasu's sing-song voice came from the other side of the door. Though she heard it, she made no attempt to move until there was a _smack_ against the door, followed but a _thudthud._ Ayako had thrown one of her shoes at the wood door and _that_ managed to get Mai moving.

"We're up!" Mai shouted back. It was enough to settle Yasu, and she could hear him whistling down the hallway yet again.

 _Again_.

It took her a few moments of thinking to realize that this wasn't déjà vu. No, he had woken them up yesterday morning too. She had already had a day in Venice. She had gotten up, eaten breakfast with Masako, briefly, and Naru. They had spent the day in the heart of Venice on tours, then they had a quick dinner, and then….

She put her head in her hands and tried to remember. She remembered Masako leaving, then taking the waterbus to the Rialto Bridge and meeting up with their friendly, female tour guide for a Venice Ghost Tour.

She remembered up until they reached the _Rio Terra Dei Assassini._ The assassin's street, their tour guide said, was named as such because there were no torches along the corridor and so it was pitch black. It was once a canal that was filled in, but whether it was a canal or street, it was a dark place. Figures in black cloaks would slink through the darkness and murder their victims—so many died that the way was named as a warning.

Mai placed her hand on her lower back, on the right side. _That's right, I had felt a pain…_

She had felt a sharp, burning pain and remembered hunching over. Naru asked her if she was okay, and she nodded. She didn't answer verbally because she hadn't trusted her voice—it hurt that bad. She didn't remember the pain going away. She didn't remember anything after that moment on, until she woke up safe in her bed.

She was glad that Ayako was still mostly sleeping. If she were to see Mai starting to slightly hyper ventilate, she would likely alert the others and then Mai's entire trip could be ruined. Yes, she knew she was being ridiculous for putting her enjoyment of her work-vacation before her possible safety, but she could last for a few more days before telling the others, couldn't she? Once they were back in Japan, _then_ her team could scold her, test her, do whatever they wanted, and she would still have some memories of Venice to keep with her.

Mai gathered her clothes for the day quick and headed into the bathroom to shower and get her thoughts together before facing the rest of her teammates.

 **Day 53, Hour 9:02**

Mai closed the door to her room quietly, not wanting to rile up the grumbling Ayako anymore than she already did. She looked around the floor and sighed a breath of relief, glad to not yet be bombarded by her friends. However, the relief did not last long.

As she turned towards the stairs, she heard a click behind her as the door to Naru's suite opened. When she looked at him, she saw that he was peering at her with some curiosity, but there was nothing malicious—not yet, at least. His hair was wet and he was adjusting the hem of his shirt. She was willing to bet that he hadn't been up for more than fifteen minutes himself and just hadn't had enough time to wake up.

"Why do you look like a deer in headlights every time I look at you?" He asked simply. There was no coldness or condescension in his voice. Just… curiosity.

Mai frowned and pursed her lips. "What…? I do not! You're just narcissistic enough to think I'm giving you special looks!"

" _Special?_ " Naru asked and raised a brow, "I didn't say it was _special_ , Mai. Do _you_ think you give me special looks?"

She just couldn't understand him. He had hardly spoken to anyone on their trip, and he had hardly joked or teased her since he had come back from England. Was this his attempt to try to make things normal? It wasn't working, if so.

"Naru, I don't think now's the time to start psychoanalyzing people. It's too early for that." Mai said and rolled her eyes, putting her hands on her hips. She watched as his eyes narrowed quickly.

"Well, I certainly couldn't do it to you last night, what with you being so unresponsive."

His curiosity was gone. _Damnit,_ _I should have just played along and kept him in a good mood._ What could she say? What could she do? She had no idea what she had done the night before, and he knew it. Luckily, there was Yasu to the rescue.

"Woah~oh!" He said as he rounded the corner on the stairs to their floor, a cup of coffee in his hands. "I must have missed something good! Can you say that again, Naru? What _exactly_ couldn't you do to Mai last night?"

"Mind your own business," Naru replied, sending a cold chill through the air. It was more than just his tone. Mai was sure he was at risk of poltergeisting. He walked by Mai, not sparing her a look as he did so, and went for the stairs.

Yasuhara watched with mild interest as he took a loud slurp of his drink. He stood with Mai in silence for a few moments, while she did nothing but stare at the spot where Naru's back had disappeared down the steps.

She was so…. Confused. What had happened between them that made it so easy for Naru to go from teasing and playful to cold disregard in seconds? Was this all because of her confession and his rejection? It had to be. Maybe he just… didn't like her as a friend anymore, and forcing himself to try was too difficult.

"So. Mai." Yasuhara spoke as if he were preparing to make a declaration. "Tell me, what does the Doge Suite look like?"

She turned to look at him in confusion. "What?"

He shrugged. "You know, the room. Is it bigger than yours? I've been wondering what's going on with all of our equipment. Naru says we're getting some, but no one's actually seen it yet. Is it in his room?"

"Why would I know if it's in his room?" She asked and crossed her arms. She wondered if this was some sort of typical Yasu joke, where he presumed that she was getting secret midnight invites into Naru's room (which he shared with Lin, and thus would be really weird.)

But it wasn't, not if the look on Yasuhara's face was any indication. He lowered his mug and gave her a hard look, scanning over her facial features and body language, as if he could tell if she were lying or joking with him. "You were in there last night. After we got back, Naru asked to speak with you. You were in there for at least an hour. He wouldn't let Lin in."

Mai felt her stomach drop. _Oh god, what did I do? What did I say? Why can't I_ _ **remember**_ _?_

"I… I need to go get something to eat. I'm feeling a bit light headed. We'll talk later, Yasu." Mai didn't give him a chance to respond. She turned on her heel and went for the steps, quickly running down them before he could try to catch her. He was carrying a mug of hot coffee after all. He couldn't exactly hurry.

Maybe by the time Yasu confronted her later, she would remember what had happened. Maybe by then, she could calmly explain that it was all nothing to worry about. She wasn't exactly confident in her ability to remember though. The minutes she had lost before, the day she first walked by Ash, she had never recovered.

When she hit the ground floor and briskly walked into the dining area, she saw that Monk was giving Naru very disapproving looks and Masako was already scowling at her.

Mai sighed and shook her head as she grabbed the tongs to pick of up a crepe. It was going to be a very long day.

 **Day 53, Hour 12:09**

The SPR team had left their hotel (literally—a boat had pulled up on a dock right outside of the dining room door) and gone to the island of Murano. The nearby island was home to a glass blowing facility and showroom which had been operating for over a thousand years. Royalty and other wealthy individuals had glass and crystal items such as chandeliers that were made on the island imported, and Mai could see why.

After they sat through a glass blowing demonstration, where they saw a Venetian native make a glass horse in front of them, they were taken to one of the show rooms. Mai had to cover her eyes upon walking in because there was so much light reflected around the room. The most beautiful crystals she had ever seen glittered in the show room light, making her feel like she was standing in a room of diamonds.

"Don't break anything, Mai," Monk joked, placing a hand on her shoulder. "These things are worth more than your life. Actually, they're worth more than all of our lives combined!"

She looked at one of the ornate chandeliers hanging just above her head. She was short enough that she could avoid it, but some of the others needed to duck to get through. It read "2500," which, she thought, was pretty cheap. And then she remembered that the showroom dropped the other three zeros.

"That's over two million Euros!" She said it louder than she meant and suddenly blushed. She tried to make herself a bit small but felt better after their guide chuckled. Apparently, Mai wasn't the first one to be sticker shocked.

They left the crystal room, much to Mai's relief, and headed into a room filled with glass dishware sets. The room was larger with numerous displays breaking up the room, making it a bit of a maze. She wandered through, looking over all of the different designs and colors. Some had gold, silver, or platinum details and she enjoyed looking over the pieces. They were less of items to buy and more works of art, she gathered, by the way they were displayed.

Mai started to turn a corner while staring at one set of purple and gold in particular. Because her attention was diverted, she didn't notice another figure backing up.

" _Umph_!" She gasped as she hit the larger body. She stumbled back and nearly collided with the display she had just been looking at. Luckily, the other person whirled around quickly, grabbing her and steadying her before she could fall backwards.

"Are you hurt?" The man asked, choosing to use English. She figured he noticed she was a foreigner right away and chose to use a more universal language.

She was stunned for a moment. The man looked… almost angelic, in the light of the store. The light reflected off of the glasses created something like a halo around his head. "I'm fine. Thank you." He nodded and released her shoulders, letting her safely back up on her own. She blushed and quickly gave a small bow. "I am sorry for running into you. I was not paying attention." Her English may not have been _good_ but she knew how to be polite.

"No, no, it was my fault. I sometimes get lost in my thoughts and do not pay attention around me." He smiled at her and turned to walk away.

As he did, she finally processed the person before her. He was tall, rather slim, pale, and blonde. He was wearing a grey suit that had almost a silver shine to it. His face was attractive, but more distinct than anything. "You're Markus." She blurted out before she could stop herself. She hurried and covered her mouth, mortified.

He slowly turned back around, a brow raised. "Have we met?"

She shook her head and looked down, stumbling over her words. "No… We… I'm…. Mai Taniyama," she said with another bow, "I am part of a team invited to Poveglia." She glanced up just to see his icy blue eyes light up in recognition.

"Ah, the Japanese team. Shibuya Paranormal Research, as led by Doctor Oliver Davis, yes? I had thought I may run into one of the invitees here… though not quite so literally," he said, his lips twitching upwards into a brief smile. "A pleasure to meet you, Miss Mai Taniyama. Markus Valentinian." He reached his hand out in introduction.

Mai extended her own and tried to remember everything she had been taught about giving a strong, proper handshake when necessary. As she did so, she felt a tingle run down her spine. She had to fight off the urge to blush again—his hand was pleasantly warm and he was _very_ attractive.

"Making friends, Mai?"

Mai jumped and pulled her hand away quickly, whirling around to see Naru approaching from the other side of the display. When he was closer and could see Markus, she felt a spark of tension. It was if the two men were momentarily sizing each other up.

"You must be Doctor Davis," Markus said and then extended his hand once more, "Markus Valentinian."

Naru responded appropriately and shook the man's hand. "Most people would have taken me for one of my team members." His tone was almost accusing. Mai would have thought that that it was surprising, but Naru had a tendency to be suspicious of everyone until proven safe.

"Natasha gave us a thorough description of the Shibuya team," Markus said as the rest of the team started to approach as well. "She gave a particularly detailed description of you, Doctor Davis."

"I suppose it wouldn't be the first time a woman has taken detail notice of me."

Mai was shocked and partially appalled that Naru would say something like that to someone they just met. He had a slight smirk on his face and she had to assume that he was doing this to assert his dominance over the other man. Naru liked to be the strongest, smartest, and most attractive man in the room—and he was clearly trying to roll the other man out as competition.

Markus's mouth twitched upwards again. Mai got the impression that he wasn't the sort of person to smile often. "I believe she did it as part of her job. As far as her personal interest, she seemed more interested in your partner Lin Koujo. She does have a preference for the stoic ones."

Maybe it was her empathy or maybe it was just her woman's intuition, but the glint in the Italian man's eyes told her that Markus was speaking from experience. Either way, the momentarily bewildered look on Lin's face was priceless—he had no idea what he was walking into.

"I would love to chat with you a bit longer, but I must be going. I was merely running an errand and found myself distracted. I will see you all tomorrow, yes?" Markus asked, glancing over the group.

"Yes, we will all be there. Nice meeting you," Naru replied.

"And you as well." He looked down at Mai and put his hand out one last time. She reached her own out as well, confused. He gently took it and brought it to his mouth, placing a light kiss on the back of her hand. "Perhaps you will save a dance for me tomorrow evening, Miss Mai Taniyama?"

Mai's felt the heat creeping up the back of her neck and she fought to keep it down. She didn't know what to say so she nodded her head, looking like some sort of ridiculous bobble head.

"Wonderful. _Ciao."_ With that, he released her hand swiftly continued on through the room, disappearing through the doorway at the end.

Mai turned back round, her eyes wide (perhaps like a _deer in headlights_ ) as she looked back at the other group.

Lin still looked confused, Masako looked like her blood was boiling, and Ayako had the biggest grin on her face that Mai had ever seen. Naru… Mai wasn't sure what he looked like. He looked, well, he looked angry, though it disappeared quickly leaving only the mask of cool calmness behind.

"And here I thought _I_ would be the first one to snag a rich, attractive, Italian man," Ayako said with a smile and a wink.

Again, Mai sighed and shrugged. She didn't know it, but the others could all see her slightly guilty look as she turned away and continued through the aisles of display.

000

 _Author's Notes: so, as some of my readers know, I sometimes have a tendency to create the plot as I go along. Now sure, I had the overarching plot lined out and which days I was doing to detail… But sometimes, I start something in the first three chapters which I do to add flavor and then I decide later that it will be a key point of interest. I had a hard time getting through the last chapter, but luckily this chapter was as difficult. If I get lucky, maybe I will find someone to do art of the masquerade which will include images of the original characters from Diettman's team._

 ** _GreenDrkness:_** _surprisingly, I actually do like Masako. But I think that she's the sort of girl who's used to getting what she wants, even if she has to be a little bit persistent… Thanks you for reviewing!_

 ** _Oxybry:_** _honestly, right now, you_ _ **should**_ _be confused about Masako's behavior—mostly because Mai is confused! The readers will know what's causing Masako to behave in such a way whenever Mai learns of the truth, though that's still a few chapters away. Thanks so much for sticking with me so far!_

 ** _Bunny angel:_** _I'm not exactly sure what it would be like to have girls fawning over me all the time (seeing as I am a girl and all) but I'm sure Naru doesn't particularly enjoy it! Sure, it may feed his narcissistic nature often, but it probably also becomes very annoying! Thank you for your review!_

 ** _ZeroRose:_** _thanks for reviewing! I can tell you that there_ _ **will**_ _be original characters, but that's primarily because the story and plot couldn't operate without them, especially since they don't know many people in Italy! Poveglia will not be a typical investigation for them, and it does rely heavily on the fact that there is a large group of psychics! As for Mai being too sad—I don't think it will be too overbearing. I see her as a strong person who doesn't wallow too much in self pity. She may have moments, but she's accepted her rejection and moved on… Also… funny you should mention Naru getting jealous… ;) Hope you'll continue reading!_

 ** _Rebecca:_** _I'm hoping I won't slow down too much with the updates! I do admit, I am not super inspired at this moment so I'm afraid it will take me a bit longer to finish up the story than I initially thought…. Hopefully I can keep up the pace! Thank you for your review!_

 ** _Crazyanimefreak15:_** _I also agree that many stories seem to make Mai a bit overly love sick, and I just don't see that in the original story. Although, I do think it's a bit more believable when they're in danger… who can't help but be a bit overly emotional when someone they love is in danger, right? ;) We'll see what happens in the coming chapter! Thank you, as always, for your review!_

 _Everyone else, thanks for reading!_

 _Ever Your Servant,_

 _A.F_


	10. Chapter 10

Ciao Poveglia

Rated: T

Shibuya Paranormal Research receives a special invitation to a 'psychic summit' being hosted at the infamously haunted Poveglia island. Though crossing half the globe with his team is not ideal, Naru simply cannot pass up the chance to get into the normally locked down location. [Rated T, possibly M for gore later.]

000

 **Day 53, Hour 17:25**

"Why is it so hard to find a store that's opened," Mai said as she dragged her feet along the wet stone walkway. She couldn't keep the sound of whining from her voice. Though it was annoying, Ayako and Masako were thinking the same thing.

After they finished in Murano—Ayako insisting on buying Mai an expensive jewelry set to wear for the masquerade—the SPR team hoped back onto their boat and had lunch at a café near their hotel. Though they had hoped to continue to sightsee, Naru's foul mood kept them from enjoying a few hours of their day. Instead, he had them go back to the hotel, meet in the drawing room on their floor and have an in depth debriefing on their tasks at Poveglia.

Mai couldn't help but feel like it was punishment for something she did (or didn't) do. By the time they finished, they had missed a quick rainstorm leaving a chill in the air. Monk had the idea to split their team into two to go shopping for their masks for the masquerade the next day. He said they should do it in two groups so that they could surprise their teammates with their choices.

Really, he just wanted to keep Mai and Naru separate in case Naru decided to lash out at the rest of the team for some reason again.

The boys went into one group, and the girls into the other. Though Ayako was confident they would be fine on their own, John ultimately joined their group. It was better to have a native English speaker in both groups, just in case there was some sort of trouble and they needed to communicate as efficiently as they could.

The boys headed back towards the train station to scope out shops on that side of the canal while the girls headed off in the opposite direction. Ayako felt that they would find better, unique pieces if they moved off the main drag, away from the touristy shops. She was right—to an extent. There were a great deal of amazing shops with incredible displays. The only downside was that they were also closed for dinner, since they were smaller, family owned shops.

"Maybe we should go back and try to main path like the others did," Ayako sighed after they passed their seventh shop with a closed sign.

"Let's go just a little further," John said, stepping up to lead the way, "if we do turn around then, maybe some of the ones we passed will be open again."

There was a rumble overhead as the sky sent them a warning that it was going to open up again. John sped up and turned the next corner, following a bright florescent light spilling into the darkening ally way. It seemed that luck was with them at that time because the lights were coming from an open mask shop.

They hopped in just in time to avoid a sudden downpour. The door was side and had been open before they even entered. They realized after looking around that the shop was more than a shop, it was a _workshop_. A man poked his head from around a display and greeted them.

"Ah, _ciao_ , you come to find masks? Yes?" His English was broken, but at least he didn't seem surprised by the sudden appearance of customers. He stepped out from where he stood and Mai got a good look at him. He was wearing an apron and was covered in white paint. It was on his pants, shoes, his rolled up shirt, and all on his hands and arms. He had obviously been working on something at that very moment.

"Hello," John said with a wave, "yes all of us are here to look for _wearable_ masks. We are attending a party tomorrow."

Mai was glad that John stepped up to the plate because she was far too star struck to answer. Her eyes were roaming the walls which were absolutely _packed_ with handmade masks. Every inch of wall was covered with unique pieces. There were many that were not wearable, she noticed, based upon their design. They were display purposes only. Those designs were very large and ornate—like one that looked half of a sun, stretching out wider than her shoulder span, or a set that looked like a matching set of jokers, a male and female in a burgundy, black, and gold design. Some had three faces in one and others had pieces that made them look like stags or rams.

"Ah, _si, si,_ we have some like that," the man said and pointed to Mai's right. There was a display set up lined with smaller masks that had ribbons attached to be able to wear.

She barely had time to look before she heard Ayako say, "that one."

There was a pause as the shopkeeper shuffled around to see what she was pointing at. It wasn't one of the ones on the display Mai was looking at, but one that was mounted on the wall behind the checkout counter, along with three others, all of which were behind a plexiglass case.

The man's brows shot up. " _That_ one? _No, no,_ very expensive. Not good to wear to party." He shook his head and waved his hand vigorously to help show his point.

Ayako, not one to take no for an answer, put her hands on her hips. " _Can_ it be worn?"

"Eh, _si_ , but—"

"How much?"

"That is six-hundred, thirty five euro. I cannot sell that—I do not have key. My uncle has key." The man actually looked a little bit distressed at Ayako's insistence. Perhaps he had never had someone actually interested in buying the pricey mask. It was very nice, Mai had to admit. From where she stood, it looked like it was a satin mask with a few pearls and gems of some sort inlaid into it. Maybe they were crystals from Murano.

"I want that one. Can you get it open?" Ayako asked. Mai wasn't sure if the woman meant to come off as rude and demanding, or if it was her ill usage of English that caused it.

The man nodded and went back to his corner that he had been working in and picked up his mobile phone. He called someone and had a brief exchange in Italian before hanging up. "Okay. I get key. Other masks?"

John laughed. "Oh, none for me, I think. They're far too nice for me."

"You want plain mask?"

"Well, maybe. I'm a priest. I don't really dress up all that much," he said with a shrug. The shopkeeper nodded to himself and disappeared through a door behind his work station.

Mai took the moment to look around at the pieces he had sitting around his work bench and the molds he had sitting open. From what she could tell, the masks were created by pouring the base into a mold with the correct shape and then hand detailed after they were ready. Three of the eight molds sitting on the floor were filled and there was half a dozen half finished masks sitting around the bench and the desk. It was very interesting to see the process.

The shopkeeper returned a little while later with an off white mask for John. It was a men's mask that covered only the right side of a person's face. It had a slightly cracked texture to it, as if it were an old oil painting, and a matching white trim to it. It was plain, but it certainly suited John's taste.

"How much?" John asked, taking it from the man's hand and holding it to his face, making Mai giggle.

"For you? Eh… Thirty five euro."

John shrugged and looked over at Ayako and Masako. "What do you think, guys? Does it suit me?"

The two other ladies giggled and nodded. "I think it's perfect for you, John," Masako said, "I can't imagine you in anything other than a white mask if you're wearing your black outfit."

Unlike Naru, who looked dark and mysterious when he wore his constant black attire, John somehow managed to portray a sense of innocence. Mai couldn't decide it was because it was a priest's outfit, or if John's personality simply defined him that much.

"Sold. I will take it. What about you girls?"

Masako turned back to the display and ran her hand over a few of the different masks. Many of them seemed very similar to one another, and Masako already wasn't keen on wearing a mask. _She doesn't want to cover her pretty face_ , Mai thought with a snort.

Before this trip, she wouldn't have thought that. Her and Masako had come to a peace but it seemed that most of that had gone out of the window once Naru returned.

"Eh, miss, one moment," the shopkeeper said and raised his hand, holding out a finger to indicate she should wait. For a moment, both Mai and Masako thought that he was telling her to stop touching the masks but he walked around his work station and grabbed a mask off the wall that had been hanging slightly out of view. "You like this one?"

It was a bit heavier than the others, but it was certainly more Masako's style. It was an off white mask that had details in black and gold. Most notable were the little accents that looked like folding fans on the right side of the mask. It didn't look nearly out of place with the kimono style the medium constantly wore.

She tried it on and the shopkeeper tied it in the back for her so that she could get a few for it. "It will be difficult to wear all night, but I am sure I can remove it if it becomes a hassle."

" _Sei una bella ragazza,"_ the man said with a smile, "very, very beautiful."

Masako raised her hand to her face, hiding behind her long sleeve, and giggled.

That left only Mai in need of a mask, assuming Ayako managed to get the one that was locked up behind the counter. She wondered what she should get….

As she thought about it, an older man walked in from the doorway, calling out to the shopkeeper. They exchanged words before the shopkeeper turned to Ayako. "My uncle wants to know if you want mask. Not a joke."

John jumped in at that moment too. "I think he means that his uncle wants to make sure you aren't joking about buying the mask, not that his uncle isn't joking about wanting to know if you want the mask… I think. Yeah.. yeah, that's probably right."

Ayako nodded and reached into her purse, pulling out her platinum credit card. "Yes, I want that mask."

The older man shrugged and reached into his pocket to pull out a key ring. He flipped through the numerous keys before going over and unlocking the case. He pulled out the one Ayako wanted carefully and locked the case once more. He held out his hand for the card. He said something in Italian, and they looked back at the shopkeeper.

"Eh, you must pay first, then get mask. Once it touches a face, value lost."

Ayako rolled her eyes and handed her card over. She waited for him to run it and then signed the receipt. Once it was all done, then he handed it over to her and she put it on, looking at herself in the mirror. "I think it's perfect."

John and Mai obediently _ooed_ and _ahhed_ until Ayako seemed satisfied with her purchase. As the shopkeeper's uncle started to pack up the mask in a special box, the group turned back to Mai to watch as she picked out her own mask.

The boys would probably all expect her to get something light an innocent. She sighed to herself at the thought. That was how they all thought of her, after all. The 'kid in the family.' She skipped over the light colored masks and picked up a purple and gold one with a few fillagree details. It wasn't elaborate but it was in her price range, matched her dress, and made her feel mysterious when she put it on.

"That's a really nice one, Mai, it will go well with your dress," Ayako said, placing her hands on Mai's shoulders and giving her a bit of a push towards one of the mirrors that was hanging on the wall.

She tilted her head to the side and looked back at her reflection. Yes, this was something that suited her. It wasn't something elaborate or ornate. It was simple and colorful, just like her. The small rhinestone details were also something that would match the jewelry that Ayako had just gotten her on Murano. Mostly, she hoped that it would give her a bit of air of mystery.

After all, there was an aristocratic paranormal researcher to whom she promised a dance.

000

 _Author's notes: so… I actually didn't think the whole "day to day" stuff would take this long. There is probably only one or two chapters before they arrive at Poveglia, and that will probably be at least six chapters? It depends on how well I space things out. I know, it seems weird that that only a third of the story will take place in the title location…. But eh, it happens I guess haha. I spent ages trying to find masks I liked for the girls. I feel like Ayako doesn't care so much about the traditional masks that are so much more interesting. She wants the one that's going to catch everyone's eyes because she craves attention, especially while she's single._

 _I thought about something more ornate for Mai, but then when I thought about it, I couldn't imagine her in something elaborate, especially after the fuss she put up when Ayako tried to get her to go dress shopping. I should have the images uploaded by now on the tumblr page if you want to check them out!_

 ** _Rebecca:_** _*winkwink* who knooowwwsss what happened in that room! I promise more will be revealed haha! Thanks for your review!_

 ** _Oxybry:_** _I did find pictures of what I imagined Markus to look like, and I posted them on the tumbl r page! He will certainly make more of an appearance! You may also be onto something with Madoka… =) thank you for reviewing, as always!_

 ** _Ellie:_** _no problem with the swearing! A pissing contest was exactly what is was! Naru has probably never had to deal with competition in his life, especially when it comes to wooing women! We'll see where it leads! Thank you for your great review!_

 ** _Crazyanimefreak15_** _: I'm glad so many people approve of Markus! I always worry with original characters, but I do try to give them some personality and write them in a way that makes them interesting and helpful, but not interfering with the appeal of the canon characters! Thanks for reviewing!_

 _Everyone else… Thanks for reading!_

 _Ever Your Servant,_

 _A.F_


	11. Chapter 11

Ciao Poveglia

Rated: T

Shibuya Paranormal Research receives a special invitation to a 'psychic summit' being hosted at the infamously haunted Poveglia island. Though crossing half the globe with his team is not ideal, Naru simply cannot pass up the chance to get into the normally locked down location. [Rated T, possibly M for gore later.]

000

 **Day 54, Hour 18:32**

"I think you're both going to regret not getting your hair done," Ayako sighed and tapped her foot impatiently. Their water taxi was two minute late. The boys had already left for the party and here they were, suck waiting around for their boat to show up. "Well, maybe not _you_ Masako. Your hair's too short to do anything else with it."

Masako scoffed. "I like my hair just how it is, _thank you very much_."

Mai shivered as one of the hotel workers came back in from the dock outside of the dining area. She had a thin, gold wrap pulled tightly around herself but it did nothing against the wet chill in the air. She clicked her heels together in response to both her nerves and the cold when the hotel worker waved his hand to indicate they should follow.

Ayako led the way with Masako behind her and Mai bringing up the rear. The water taxi docked and then the driver met them at the edge of the boat. He put his hand out and helped Ayako step into the boat, which was rocking slightly in an increasingly stormy current.

"Oh this is worse than yesterday," Masako groaned and stepped forward. She had problems getting into their taxi when they went to Murano as well and now it was even rockier.

"I'll lift you," the taxi driver said, his English quite clear, "you are very petite. I will lift you in, okay?"

Masako paused and looked at the rocking boat, wondering if she could do it on her own. Once she decided that she couldn't she reluctantly nodded. She didn't care for people touching her, especially not random taxi drivers. The hotel worker took one of her hands to steady her while the taxi driver placed his hands firmly on Masako's waist. He looked up at her and nodded, and she nodded back. He steadied himself and swiftly lifted her. She was sitting comfortably on one of the padded seats under the clear roof top before she even knew it.

The driver waved at Mai to have her step up as well. "I will do the same thing, yes?"

Mai wasn't as shy as Masako so she shrugged and nodded. Live and learn, right? The man placed his hands on her waist and lifted her in. There was a slight bump which caused him to lose his footing momentarily. She thought for sure she was going to go toppling into the canal, but he steadied himself and helped her below the cover as well.

"Okay, let's go," the guy said with an audible _whew_ and a laugh. Mai wanted to laugh too. She felt ridiculous and wanted nothing more than to calm her nerves. Maybe she'd actually finish a glass of wine tonight.

The weather was just a part of life and it didn't seem to stop the Venetians from going about their lives. There were still people on the walkways and bridges, and boats were speeding by, passing the waterbus that was cruising down the canal. They didn't have as long as a ride as they did to Murano, and it was certainly going faster than taking the bus would have been. They weren't even entirely sure where they were going. All they knew was that their host, Deittman, had booked two taxis for the group since they were a larger group and that taxi was going to take them to where they were going.

They could have been getting kidnapped, for all they knew.

Their driver was very friendly. Ayako sat near the front of the water taxi chatting with him. His English was good enough that it made up for Ayako's lack thereof, though she was still the most proficient in their group. John had offered to ride with them, but the girls declined. They were sure they could manage to get from the hotel, into the taxi, and to the _Ball_ on their own.

It didn't take long before they were docking in front of a large, brightly lit building. There were numerous people walking inside, they could see through the large windows, all dressed up and wearing masks. Yes, they were definitely in the right place.

The taxi driver hopped out of the boat and stood on the dock, reaching down to take Ayako's hand. She was the bravest of the three and easily stepped off the boat when it lifted to be perfectly in line with the dock. When she stepped off, she stumbled a bit into the taxi driver and gave him a laugh. Mai was sure she had done it on purpose since the man was smiling and laughing back.

Afterwards, he reached down and lifted Mai and then Masako onto the dock and urged them under the cover of the building before the rain started pouring. Ayako asked if they owed anything, but he declined, saying that it was paid for already. He added that he could always use a kiss from a pretty lady, however.

Ayako laughed again and blew him a kiss. He caught it dramatically and waved, saying that he hoped he would be the one to take them back at the end of the night.

A man in a suit wearing the hotel's logo (or at least, Mai thought it was a hotel logo since she saw a luggage dolly inside,) opened the door for the trio of ladies, who thanked him as they walked in. They followed after the few others in masks walking down a long, marble hallway. It was brightly lit with warm lighted chandeliers, and Mai couldn't help but be awed. It was odd for the to think about being a guest at something so obviously grand.

Ayako had been right about her wearing an elegant gown, as much as Mai hated it. She would have been embarrassed to be so casual compared to the others attending.

They came to the foot of a grand staircase which had people walking up to the next floor. The girls trekked up, taking their time and looking at the intricate architecture and artwork filling the building. When they reached the top, they saw that their options were to walk ahead through a set of double doors or to go to little walkways on the left or right, which would take them to a set of large windows overlooking the canal. Mai's instinct was to go run and look outside, but she knew she had to continue onwards. Maybe she would have a chance later.

As they approached the door, two men in similar uniforms to the one downstairs opened the door the ladies before they even had the chance to ask each other, _are you ready?_

There was a string quartet playing at the far side of the room, off to their right. Directly in front of the SPR ladies were tables set up for dining, some which had group names in the center of the table. To the right of the tables was an opening which Mai assumed was for the dance floor, with the band playing just beyond that. The entire room was accented in white and gold, and Mai felt like she had just stepped into a movie set.

"Don't just stand there, step away from the door so others can walk in."

From off to her left, where there was an open bar, Naru's voice came floating over to her. She knew it was him, but it was odd to see him. For once, he wasn't wearing only black. He was wearing a tuxedo and a simple mask in a black and white diamond print. She was surprised. She thought he would have chosen something more ornate to go with his narcissistic personality.

He must have been able to tell that her eyes were lingering on his mask. "They say that this is the print that was worn by fools."

Mai smiled, completely taken aback. "Is the most narcassitic man I know calling himself a fool?"

"Maybe," he replied, though his words were harsher than someone who would have been joking. She wasn't sure what to make of it.

"Were you waiting for us to come in?" She asked, stepping to the side as he said. Masako and Ayako seemed to have spotted the others at a table and hurried off to meet them, leaving Mai alone with Naru.

"No," he said and held up a glass in his hand. "I was getting a glass of wine. People will be taking their seats soon. If you want something to drink, we should get it now."

 _We?_

She shook her head. "I see there's water on the tables. That's fine for me. For now." She was too aware of her low tolerance, and certainly didn't want to make a _fool_ out of herself or out of her teammates during their biggest event to date. Naru nodded and turned, slowly walking towards the table with the others. She saw that there were ten space, nine of which were set.

"Naru," she said softly, catching up to him so that she was right besides him, "who else was supposed to be coming?" She could smell his cologne at that distance. She had never noticed him wear any before.

"Madoka was originally planning on attending. She chose to decline for personal reasons," Naru stated and weaved through the obstacle course of tables and chairs until they reached their table. When they reached it, he paused and looked over the remaining seats.

The best seat, the seat that had a prime view of the ballroom floor, where Diettman would likely be speaking, was still open. Masako sat on the left and Lin on the right. There were three open seats across from the table, where whoever sat there would have to turn around to watch. Mai didn't hesitate to walk around the table and take the seat next to Yasu.

"Dear lord, Yasu, _what_ is that?" She said, ignoring the fact that Naru was following her with his eyes. Yasuhara smiled and pulled out her seat for her.

"I figure that now I can see _all_ of the pretty ladies tonight!" His mask was a ridiculous three faced mask—one looking straight on, the bottom half exposed so that he could drink through the mask, with two full faces on either his left and right sides.

"You're unbelievable," Mai said with a laugh, giving her friend a light _whap_ on the arm.

The SPR team continued to chat for a few more minutes until the lights started to dim and the band took a pause. They looked around the room, trying to catch a glimpse of… well something, anything that would indicate what would happen next. After everyone had returned to their seats and were aptly paying attention, the double doors to the ballroom opened.

"Please join me in welcoming your host for tonight, Sir Lennard Deittman, and his team, the Deittman Phenomena Research team," said a voice over the speakers hidden throughout the room. Clapping seemed to all start at once, so Mai joined in and watched the doorway.

It was Markus and Isabella Valentinian who entered first. They wore somewhat matching ensambles—he wore a light grey suit that matched her draped gown. It was a modest gown with a beaded, jeweled collar and light chiffon fabric that came down in almost a column shape. They both wore gold masks, though they were surprisingly plainer than what she would have expected from a family who came from an aristocratic background. Markus's was all gold, painted most likely, and the bottom came to a point, much like many of the men's masks. Isabella's was detailed in filigrees and pearls, but it was hardly obnoxious enough to steal away from her general appearance.

Father Grunwald entered next, escorting a rather bored looking Ash. It seemed he had thought _somewhat_ similarly to John in that he was dressed rather muted compared so some of the others. Mai noticed that he was not wearing his official uniform, like John was, but rather a black tuxedo. His mask was simple but Mai thought that it looked like leather from where she sat. If it were real leather, he hadn't been as cost contentious as John.

Ash looked…. Well, when Mai had met the woman before, she seemed rather… ragged. Was that the word that Mai was looking for? The woman had been in worn boots, jeans with holes that may or may not have been deliberate, a faded tee shirt and an oversized hoodie. If not for Ash's multicolored streaks throughout her dark hair, Mai would have said it was a different woman. She looked polished and refined in a red dress (which had Ayako grumbling,) that had long sleeves and a very open back.

 _How can she wear a bra with that?_ Was Mai's first thought. Her second pertained to a sprawling tattoo of a bird that covered the woman's back.

Finally, Desdemona deMarquise entered escorting Sir/Doctor Lennard Deittman. Mai thought that was the correct way to think of it because out of the pair, it was Desdemona who held such a commanding presence that Deittman seemed to pale in comparison. He didn't seem to mind, however, as he had a good humored smile on his face.

He wore an outfit fit for a king—it looked like something she had seen out of a movie that would have starred Colin Firth. Desdemona's outfit also looked like it was out of a movie… One that starred Jessica Rabbit. It was black with a plunging neckline and an open back, though not quite as open as Ash's. It fit her form and it was clear by the smirk on her fact that she was soaking up the attention from the moment she entered.

Still, Mai was rather unsettled by the pair. She wasn't sure if it was something that the two were giving off that she was picking up on, or the fact that they were both wearing masks that looked slightly demonic in nature. Either way, Mai pushed the thoughts to the back of her mind as the three pairs took their spots on the dance floor.

They started to settle themselves and prepare to dance, but as they did so, there was a sudden whispering as movement came from all four corners of the room.

000

 _Author's notes: ahhh the fluffiness of a ball… I thought about it and I think I've put elegant parties into two other fics. Hopefully you don't all mind that I put in some description of the original characters. They will be prominent figures from here on out. Check out the tumblr page for more images of the cast's attire! Ayako's dress will be shown, though Masako's will not since she's in a kimono as usual, and nor will Mai's. I mostly kinda… thought up Mai's and don't have a reference picture. If I get around to it, maybe I will do a doodle of it (disclaimer: I am so far from an 'artist' it's not funny.)_

 _I do want to make a comment here: I know I've received a few messages about the pacing of the story, and I know that it is tedious. However, it's kind of a trade off. If I were going for a novel length fic, each chapter would be around 10k words, which is about five of my chapters all combined. If you were to read them as one chapter, it's likely that you wouldn't notice the pacing because you're reading it all at once. However, I do break it up because if I didn't, I guarantee I would lose interest and I probably wouldn't have posted the story in the first place. So yes, the pacing is slow and tedious, but at least I try to update every day or every other day, right? Well, anyhow, I promise it isn't going to get any better, so I don't blame readers if they don't care for it…_

 ** _GrnDarkness:_** _I am aiming to have most of it finished by Halloween, if that helps. Thanks for your review!_

 ** _Rebecca:_** _thank you, as always, for your consistent reviewing! It really helps keep me motivated!_

 ** _Oxybry:_** _I'm glad you've been able to check out the pieces on the tumbl r page! Sometimes I get a bit behind and forget to post until the next day! Thanks for your review!_

 _Next time: part two of the Masquerade Ball! Will Naru's jealously rear its ugly-beautiful head?_

 _Thanks for reading!_

 _Ever Your Servant,_

 _A.F_


	12. Chapter 12

Ciao Poveglia

Rated: T

Shibuya Paranormal Research receives a special invitation to a 'psychic summit' being hosted at the infamously haunted Poveglia island. Though crossing half the globe with his team is not ideal, Naru simply cannot pass up the chance to get into the normally locked down location. [Rated T, possibly M for gore later.]

000

 **Day 54, Hour 19:05**

With the dimmed lights, beyond the ballroom floor, many of the party guests hadn't initially noticed the creeping throughout the ballroom. It wasn't until the figures started moving between the tables that people were pointing and whispering. Mai barely managed to contain her squeal of surprise when she turned to look over her shoulder and saw an ornate mask staring back at her.

There were eight individuals in total. Six of them wore similar outfits—diamond printed suits and dresses with harlequin masks. Two of them looked a bit fancier, as if there were parodies of a king and queen. They continued to flit around, startling guests and letting out muffled laughs from behind their masks. At first, Mai wondered if they were party crashers of some sort. However, none of the Deittman party moved as the harlequins moved onto the ballroom floor.

She sighed a breath of relief. _They're part of the performance._

The six 'regular' harlequins took up spots, breaking off into three couples. It seemed that the King and Queen would do the same, but then they stopped and went to the paranormal researchers standing by to start their dance. One by one, the Harlequins broke up the couples and switched them around until Isabella was paired with Deittman, Desdemona was paired with Father Grunwald, and Ash was paired with Markus. Judging by their expressions, the change had not been a planned event, and they were masking their confusion to safe face.

Well, all but Ash, who looked extremely perturbed to be staring at the gold mask of Markus.

The King and Queen then joined hands and stepped up to one another. The string quartet resumed their music—except, it wasn't a quartet anymore. It was an octet. During the introduction, four more band members set themselves up so that they could lend their instruments to the first dance. It was a beautiful song, though Mai doubted she would recognize anything that was played that night at all.

The audience remained quiet as they watched the fourteen individuals performed a choreographed dance based off of one that was performed some few hundred years earlier. Mai was impressed by dexterity—especially the women who were skillfully moving in somewhat restrictive dresses. At the end, they stepped back from one another, gave their partners small bows, then turned to the audience and did the same. In return, Mai and everyone else clapped along happily.

A man, probably the same one who had announced Diettman's entrance, walked over and handed a wireless microphone to the host of the party while a waitress walked around with glasses of champagne for those on the dance floor. " _Guten abend,_ my guests! I thank you for joining me here tonight—especially those of you traveling from Japan and the United States! Your presence is truly a great honor."

There was a pause as he swept his hands in the direction of SPR. Mai tried to discreetly look around to see if she could see another group name sitting out on a table indicating which one was the American team. She clapped gently with the rest of her table, though most people were actually clapping for _them_.

"Tonight, I hope that we will all take a moment from our busy lives to eat, drink of course—" there was a low chuckle around the room as he smiled widely, "—and create new connections that may last us a life time. It is only on rare occasion that we may have so many knowledgeable, experienced individuals in one room. I think that we all have the opportunity to learn something new, or see something from a new perspective, if we are just willing to open our mind. After all, that is truly the heart of parapsychology, is it not? We go through life with an open mind and lend ourselves to every experience life presents us."

There were sounds of agreement throughout the hall. Mai herself nodded along and thought that he had certainly hit the nail on the head, so to speak. Deittman clearly had a life time of study and experience behind him, and it showed in the way his spoke and the way his eyes lit up with passion.

Deittman raised his glass. "Now, if you will, join me as we toast to one another, and ourselves, for all of the work done to further our field. And, perhaps, say a silent prayer to ensure those of us traveling to Poveglia tomorrow come back safely!"

Again, there were chuckles. However, there was something in his eyes, behind his mask, that made Mai think that he was being completely serious. The fact that his teammates all wore passive expressions, rather than smiling at his little joke, did not bode well either. Perhaps she was the only one to feel that way, however, because no one else hesitated to raise their glasses. She did as well, and she even opted for the small champagne flute sitting next to her water goblet.

 _Clinkclink_. Glasses tapped around the room and everyone took a sip. Shortly after, Deittman handed his microphone to Father Grunwald, who said a meal prayer as the waiters and waitresses started quickly bringing out salads.

Mai turned back around and adjusted her seat so that she faced her team once more. "Well that was very nice," she said with a smile and accepted her salad dish. There were fresh rolls on the table—still warm, too. She didn't hesitate to snatch one of the honey wheat pieces before they were all gone.

"Mai, you should wait your turn. The bread basket will get passed around," Naru said, his eyes flickering over her and then back down to the basket he now held in his hands.

"Well now that I've touched it, do you want me to put it back?" She asked, smiling sweetly with her rhetorical question. He didn't bother gracing her with an answer.

"Can you believe that Markus chose to wear a mask that covers his entire face," Ayako said with a sigh, "what a waste of a pretty face…"

"I think it says a lot about his character, actually," Mai said, pouring a bit of dressing on her salad. "I think it proves that he's the sort of person who doesn't rely on his looks. He probably had other skills or talents that he would prefer to be known by. You can't blame him for wanting respect."

"Defending him already? I think our little Mai has a crush," Yasuhara said, nudging Mai with his elbow. Mai didn't rise to his jibe.

"Not at all. I'm just trying to apply some of I'm learning in my psychology classes to the matter," she said with a shrug and picked at her salad. It was what she could consider to be a _fancy_ salad. It had chopped strawberries and pecans and was paired with a sweet raspberry vinaigrette.

"If you're going to do that, then you should remember that a mask is supposed to hide something, and by choosing a full coverage mask, he's trying to keep people from finding the truth," Naru quipped and pushed his salad to the side, untouched. It was probably too sweet for his taste.

Mai sighed. "It's a masquerade, Naru, _everyone_ is supposed to be hiding something."

"Oh really? What are you hiding?"

Mai nearly paused but thought better of it. If she did, it would reveal that she _was_ hiding something—her missing time. Instead, without missing a beat, she smiled and pointed to her head. "My face, _duh._ "

Her teammates gave smiles and shook their heads, but it didn't seem that Naru bought it. She stared at him for a few moments, munching away at her food, and daring him to accuse her of something. She wasn't sure what sort of game he was playing with her, but like hell she was going to surrender so easily.

The rest of dinner flew by quickly. The food was amazing—rich, flavorful fish and veggies, seasoned with spices that were popular in Venice for many, many years. For dessert, they were given tiramisu and Mai devoured it, despite not usually caring for the espresso flavoring. After the meal ended, a table near the bar was uncovered to reveal a coffee bar and a further dessert table filled with pastries, cookies, and cakes. Mai felt like she was in heaven.

That may have also been the wine she had, however. She felt comfortably warm, without her wrap, and she was able to ignore the glances Naru kept sending her way.

 **Day 54, Hour 19:53**

Mai was looking over the desert table, trying to make a decision on what to try first when Ash walked up to the bar just next to her.

"Go for the lady fingers," Ash said, nodding over to a tray of cream filled pastries, "those are usually one of the first to go."

"Ah, I will! Thank you!" Mai replied with a smile. She took one and stepped aside of the table, carefully biting into it to keep the powder from dusting off onto her dress. She stood in silence while Ash tapped the counter impatiently, waiting for a bartender to get to her. "Your… er… Your dress is very nice."

Okay, so it was a poor conversation starter, but Mai didn't want to go the whole night speaking to only her teammates. Ash looked over at her, a brow raised with a look of slight amusement. "You think so? I didn't pick it out. The Valentinian _wonder duo_ ordered it for me. Afraid I would embarrass them all."

Mai's mouth visibly dropped. "Really? Me too! I mean… um… Not that they got me a dress. I mean…" She was stumbling over her English and she felt like a fool. Ash, however, watched her patiently. "My friend Ayako, in the red dress, she got this for me. She said the same thing to me. Didn't want me to embarrass myself. Or her, I guess…"

"Well you know what I have to say about these stuffy, rich types?" Ash said with a smirk and turned back to the bar. She hoisted herself up a bit until she was leaning over the bar, her feet a few inches off the ground. She reached grabbed a bottle of honey colored liquid and then dropped back to the ground. "Fuck 'em and drink up."

She took one of the stacked, clear glasses and poured some of the liquor into the glass then turned and offered it to Mai.

"Oh, um, no thank you. Too strong," Mai said with a slight chuckle.

Ash shrugged and brought the glass to her lips, sucking down the liquid and then refilling it. "Suit yourself."

"Natasha, I hope you aren't corrupting our young friend here," came Markus's voice from behind Mai. She turned around to see him approaching, his hands casually slipped into his pockets.

Ash rolled her eyes and gave a nod to Mai. "Good luck surviving the night." Her hand was still on the bottle she had taken, and there was a bartender presumably asking for it back. Ash looked at the man in boredom and took the bottle from the counter. "I'm keeping this." She turned and walked away, bottle hanging from one hand and glass from the other.

"Do forgive her," Markus said, stepping in to take the place in front of Mai, "she isn't known for her good behavior. If she isn't lighting something on fire by the end of the night, I will be surprised. Are you waiting for a drink?"

Mai blushed and looked at the dessert table. "No… I… She suggested trying the lady fingers dessert."

Markus smiled, but she could only barely tell because of how far down the mask came. "They are a favorite. I prefer the desserts with chocolate myself. I have a bit of a sweet tooth."

"Me too…"

Markus dropped his wine glass on the counter and looked to the ballroom floor as a new song. "Would you care to dance?"

Mai turned and looked over at the dance floor as well, contemplating the offer. Of course, her own table was in her line of sight, and Masako and Naru were both seated there. Naru turned at that moment and narrowed his eyes at her. She glared at him and turned back to Markus. "I would love to, but… I'm not very good. I've only had a few weeks of practice."

He offered his arm to her. "I assure you, I am quite good. Just follow my lead and no one will know you are new to dancing," he said lightly. Mai nodded and took his arm.

Markus led the two of them to the dance floor. People seemed to clear the way for him, for the most part. Even once they reached the center of the crowd, everyone was careful to give them space. He placed his hand on her waist and used his other one to take hers. She placed her free hand on his arm as Ayako had taught her and he nodded, indicating that he would start.

And when he did, she felt like she was floating. Her footwork may not have been perfect, but with the way he lead, he moved her body in the correct way and everything else came second. He released her to give her a bit of a spin, then brought her back to him. She let out a laugh and he gave her a chuckle. The first song ended, but he did not let her go. Instead, they immediately went into the next song.

She probably would have been willing to dance with him for the rest of the night if Desdemona had not come to cut in. "Markus, no matter how hard you try, you cannot avoid me all night. Come now, we have people to greet."

Markus sighed. "I do not see why I am necessary…. Des, this is Miss Mai Taniyama, she's here with the Doctor Davis group."

Desdemona looked down at Mai—quite literally. Ash was the tallest of the Deittman women, but Des was rather close, standing at almost six inches over Mai, even in heels. But it was the look in her eyes, the one that told Mai that her blood-red lipstick smile was hardly genuine. "A pleasure, Miss Taniyama. I hope you're enjoying the party. I keep trying to meet with your boss but he manages to find a way to avoid me every time I try to speak with him…"

"He has a tendency to do that," Mai replied and forced her own smile. She didn't like this woman. She couldn't understand it, but she felt a chill going down her spin just looking at her. It was worse having her so close.

"Well, I'm sure I will catch him by the end of the night… one way or another. Now, if you excuse us, I must steal your dance partner away. Have a good night." She took Markus's arm in hers tightly and turned to start walking away.

Before she could get him more than a step away from Mai, he snapped his hand out and took Mai's placing another kiss on her knuckles. "You dance wonderfully, Mai, do not let anyone tell you differently." He did not say goodbye, and Mai hoped that maybe it was because he would catch her again by the end of the night.

Once Desdemona stepped away with Markus, leaving Mai in the middle of the dance floor alone, the chill she felt went away, leaving her feeling quite warm. She decided that she needed to get away from the crowd for a bit and have a breather before rejoining the excitement. So, she fled the room—though people didn't so easily part for her the way they moved for Markus—and sought some fresh air.

It turned out the large windows she had seen earlier had a door to the left which led to a balcony. She carefully exited, waiting to see if anyone would get angry at her for being outside. But then she saw Ash outside smoking with… Lin of all people. That was odd. She didn't realize that he even smoked. She started to walk over to join them—to chat, not to smoke, of course—when the door opened behind her.

"Oh, Naru, are you—"

"What do you think you're _doing_?" Naru asked, his voice coming out as hardly more than a hiss. She stepped back and tilted her head to the side.

"I'm just getting some fresh air—"

"Not _that_ ," he said, stepped forward, closing the space between them, "you don't know _anything_ about him. You shouldn't be fraternizing with Valentinian—"

Mai's jaw dropped. "Woah, _what_? I was just dancing, Naru, isn't that the point of a masquerade _ball_? _To dance_?"

"Of course that's the point, but if you wanted to participate then you should've chosen someone else. You could have picked Yasuhara, or John, or—"

"—or who, Naru?" Mai said, her voice rising to nearly a shout. "You? Should I have picked you? I did pick you once before, Naru, remember how that went for me? And you know, that's fine. I'm fine. But you are just _so mean_ to me lately. I don't understand what I did to deserve that. So yeah, you know, when a guy is nice to me and asks me to dance, I'll say yes if I want to."

Ash and Lin had turned and were staring at the two of them. Mai gave Naru one last hurt look and turned to walk towards the other two. She didn't see Naru's own look of hurt and confusion that flashed across his face and eyes before disappearing. She didn't see the way he ran over both of their words in his head, trying to figure out what, exactly, they meant. All she heard was the sound of the door closing as he left her again.

Mai held herself high as she approached Lin and Ash. She blinked back any unshed tears and exhaled out, blowing away any words that may have still been on the tip of her tongue. She wouldn't stand around and cry because of him. Not tonight. Not ever. She had already done enough of that when he left her behind for England.

000

 _Author's Notes: …. Okay, so, originally I thought that this would turn into a fluffy ending. But. Um. Okay. So. I can be such a sucker for drama. It didn't help that I was listening to the Halsey album and that is hardly an uplifting. So, I do apologize. There's… so much more I want to add into the story, but I just can't because everything is from Mai's POV and it pertains to other characters and she wouldn't see/know these bits. I may add them to the tumblr as little side snippets._

 _I promise, whether it's overtly there or not, I do still count this as a Mai x Naru fic. We'll see what happens at Poveglia… which starts up next chapter! Yay!_

 _At this point I am traveling and doingeverything from my phone! I'm sorry I cannot give shout outs to my invididual reviewers! (But I promise I am seeing them and loving them!)_

 _Thanks for reading!_

 _Ever Your Servant,_

 _A.F_


	13. Chapter 13

Ciao Poveglia

Rated: T

Shibuya Paranormal Research receives a special invitation to a 'psychic summit' being hosted at the infamously haunted Poveglia island. Though crossing half the globe with his team is not ideal, Naru simply cannot pass up the chance to get into the normally locked down location. [Rated T, possibly M for gore later.]

000

 **Day 54, Hour 8:58**

Mai woke before Yasuhara's morning wake up call, so she was able to swing the door open the moment that he started knocking and leave with him to get breakfast. Ayako was already awake, but mostly because she wasn't feeling well. Mai asked if she could get her anything, but she waved her off. She asked for Mai to bring up some toast from breakfast, but that she would be fine. Hung over, she said.

Yasuhara chatted away as Mai ate her breakfast in silence. He had nearly gone back with one of the women from the American paranormal team, but John had wisely steered him away from it. While he was disappointed to pass up the chance to add a foreign lady to his list of conquests (which Mai was pretty sure was actually non-existent,) he thought it was better this way. Naru was already in a foul mood and he didn't want to make matters worse. Not that he cared, really. Yasu could handle anything that Naru dished out. But he didn't want anyone else to deal with the consequences either.

Namely Mai.

Naru didn't go to breakfast that morning. Lin came down to get him some food instead.

"Lin," Mai said when he made himself a plate of eggs and sausage. "I don't mean to pry, but I didn't know you smoked. I don't think I've ever seen you do that before last night."

Lin's brow twitched. "I don't, not usually."

Mai looked at Yasu and they both shrugged. Once Lin walked away, Yasuhara leaned forward. "Stress, probably."

"Was he particularly stressed last night? I thought he was in a decent mood for once…"

"I don't know the details, but from what I gather, he and Madoka had a bit of a falling out before he left England. She was supposed to come this week, but because of whatever happened, she refused. Maybe seeing all those couples last struck a nerve," he said and wiggled his eyebrows. Mai looked at him in confusion but then shrugged and let it go.

"I suppose that's their business then," she said and cleaned up her plate. "Anyhow, I need to go take some toast up to Ayako. Hope she's feeling better by the time we leave. I don't want her being sick all over the boat!"

"Ayako isn't feeling well?" Yasu asked, sipping his coffee.

"Just a hangover. I'm sure she'll be fine," Mai replied and waved off his concern. He pursed his lips and scrunched his eyes, looking off in nowhere in particular.

"I don't remember her drinking last night…"

"Who knows what she had. Anyhow, get me when it's time to check out. I'm just about packed up."

 **Day 54, Hour 11:30**

Their water taxis were right on time. The group checked out at eleven and then waited for their rides to show up. They needed two taxi's to get over to Poveglia because of their equipment. Naru had numerous well packed cases and boxes shipped over from England rather than trying to tote all of their equipment over from Japan. It was a bit cheaper and far easier on them when he could pay someone to deal the transportation for him over the course of a few days.

Naru, Lin, and Yasuhara rode in one taxi with their own luggage and the equipment while others rode in a separate one. Naru had gone over their plan of attack one last time while they were waiting so that everyone knew what to do as soon as they reached the island. They would need a few hours to get set up and they knew that they would have to be finished before nightfall or they would be trying to find their way around in the dark.

 **Day 54, Hour 11:53**

"You sure you want to go?" Their taxi driver asked them for the third time as he pulled up to the island. They all nodded, though they didn't say anything like they had each time he asked before. Now was different. Now that they were pulling up to the island, Mai was getting an odd feeling in the pit of her stomach. It was like there were dozens of eyes watching her. It was unsettling.

The man navigated them over to the stone dock. It had been cleared off recently based upon the marks that look like they had been made by a broom. He tied up the boat, but he didn't get off to help them off like other taxi drivers had done. "Okay. I stay in the boat." He was afraid. He hardly tried to hide it, too. He looked at the island, and there was fear in his eyes.

Monk hopped off first and John handed him all of the luggage, piece by piece. Once they had finished, they started helping the girls get onto the dock. Ayako went first, still not feeling well and the rocking boat doing little to help ease her upset stomach. Mai went next, and she had no problem hopping off on her own since she was wearing boots, jeans, a tunic and sweater this time. Masako, as always, needed help since her kimono was so inoperable. Honestly, Mai was surprised she hadn't managed to lose a sandal in the canal yet.

Although, this wasn't the canal anymore, was it? Now they were in the Venetian Lagoon.

"Okay, good luck. I pray for your safe return," the taxi driver said and started to undock his boat. He wasted absolutely no time getting off the island.

Once he was gone, they were left standing on the dock to wait for Naru, Lin, and Yasuhara to arrive with the equipment.

"It's so quiet," Mai said, walking away a little bit to get closer to the woods surrounding the buildings on the island. "I don't think I hear anything—not a bird, or any bugs… I barely hear the water hitting the dock. It's like a vortex."

"It's far too quiet," Masako agreed, looking at the building behind them. "I know there are spirits here—many of them. But they know I'm here too. They're staying away on purpose."

They stood around in silence, listening to the nothing around them. It was almost startling when they finally heard the motor of the next water taxi nearing them. The SPR team gathered around as Naru's boat came up to the dock and tied off. It had taken a while to load up all of the equipment, and it was going to take just as long to unload it.

 **Day 54, Hour 12:33**

The smell of cigarette smoke alerted them to Ash's presence before she actually appeared. She emerged from the closest building, cigarette in hand, hair in a messy ponytail, and dark glasses covering her eyes.

"I drew the short stick," she said and took a long drag from her cigarette. She blew the smoke back out, and for a moment, Mai thought it looked like it had the shape of a bird. But she must have been seeing things. "Come on. I'll take you to the main base."

The SPR team stared to gather their things and as much equipment as they could carry. They would still need two or three trips back to pick up the rest of the stuff, especially the heavy pieces, even with Ash picking up one of the padded, canvas bags.

"I'm surprised your team let you come over here alone," Naru said, stepping to catch up with Ash as they walked through the building she had just come out of. "It seems highly irresponsible."

Ash laughed, though Mai sensed a hint of bitterness behind it. "I could be flailing about in the lagoon, and those assholes would just watch. Besides, out of all of them, I'm the only one who can defend against a physical manifestation."

They continued crunching along through the hallways filled with leaves, sticks, broken glass and fallen walling. Occasionally, Mai would notice a camera or a recorder set up, indicating that another team had already prepped some of their own equipment.

"I don't like this," Masako whispered as she looked around. "I don't like this at all. I shouldn't have ever come here."

"Ah, don't worry Masako, we'll be fine as long as we stick together," Yasuhara said brightly and threw his arm around the petite woman's shoulder. After he said that, Ash started to slow down, and then she stopped all together.

"Why are we stopping?" Naru asked sharply.

Ash turned around to look at them, puffing out smoke from her cigarette. She stared at the group, not any of the in particular but the group as a whole, then waved for them to follow her as she turned and left through a doorway leading outside. Since they had no idea where they were going, they had no choice but to follow.

Once they were a short distance from the building, she stopped again and had them gather around her.

"I'm only going to say this once. You can choose to listen, but if you don't, I assure you, I won't have a guilty conscious," she said, tossing the butt of her cigarette into the ground and snuffing it out. She didn't hesitate to pull another from a pack in her hoodie pocket. "You're the last group to arrive. There are no more boats coming until the end of the experiment. Very few locals are willing to come here to begin with, and those who are have been paid to disregard any calls or help."

Mai's stomach dropped. The air around them started to turn cold and her fear started to pick up. They were trapped.

"Experiment?" Naru asked, though his voice indicated that perhaps he had expected it. "I was under the impression this was merely a normal investigation."

"There is nothing normal about Poveglia, and you would do well to remember that," she replied harshly. "Deittman has gathered well known and powerful psychics from across the world. His sole purpose is to see if he can wake the island up and deliberately cause paranormal activity. It is extremely unsafe and puts us all in danger. He has cameras and voice recorders set up all over the island, and he is willing to sit back and watch as the rest of us are devoured alive."

"That's insane," Lin said, crossing his arms. "What's the point? It's likely that activity would have happened regardless of who came. Why intentionally try to push the limits?"

Ash shrugged. "Fame? Fortune? Glory? He wants to have evidence of the largest supernatural event the world has ever seen, and we're all fuel for the flame." As if to reaffirm her point, she swiped her index finger by the lit end of her cigarette and 'pulled' a small flame from it. It danced on her finger tip until she waved and it went away.

"You cannot truly believe that your boss would put his team in danger willingly," Naru said.

"By me being here at all just proves the point. I don't expect to be alive by the time the weekend is over," she replied with another shrug. The SPR team looked back at her in confusion. "Anyhow, the reason I'm telling you this is because you have so many _kids_ with you. It would weigh heavily on me if I let you meet with Deittman with absolutely no warning. Don't trust him. Don't trust the others. The Wonder-Twins—Markus and Isabella—they're pretty harmless but look out for each other. Father Grunwald will not hesitate to leave you behind. Des is just as likely to lock you in a closet as she is to kick you down the stairs. Deittman… He may put on a good face but he's unpredictable."

"I wonder what they would say about you, if given the chance," Naru said, raising a brow.

"Probably that I'm dangerous, reckless, and untrustworthy," Ash replied. "But like I said, you can choose what you want to believe. Whatever happens, do not let them get one of you alone, no matter how innocent it may be. Most importantly, do _not_ wander around here alone. Don't set up equipment alone, don't get coffee alone, don't even go to the bathroom alone. Make sure that someone _you trust_ always has eyes on your back."

Mai felt a chill go down her spine as the woman spoke. Maybe she should have heeded those warnings and not ever come to Poveglia.

000

 _Author's Notes: if it isn't obvious enough, part of the reason Ash is such a heavy chain smoker is because it means that she always has a spark lit in case she needs to call up a flame. Anyhow, have I started to capture your attention for the Poveglia section of the story? I hope so! I have some interesting things planned. Technically, their little trip to the island should only last for four days including this one. However, as you've seen, I can write a chapter on like… one hour of the SPR team's day, so four days will take quite a few more chapters._

 _Update: I am posting this over breakfast in my Dublin hotel. Didn't have a super wonderful first day so I'm hoping today will be better. (I've been under the weather the past week and the wet, cold weather isn't helping!) Hope to get another chapter up soon! Thank you for all of my wonderful reviewers! I am reading all of them and they really make me feel better!_

 _Thanks for reading!_

 _Ever Your Servant,_

 _A.F_


	14. Chapter 14

Ciao Poveglia

Rated: T

Shibuya Psychic Research receives a special invitation to a 'psychic summit' being hosted at the infamously haunted Poveglia island. Though crossing half the globe with his team is not ideal, Naru simply cannot pass up the chance to get into the normally locked down location. [Rated T, possibly M for gore later.]

000

Day 54, Hour

"Ah, there they are!" Deittman said the instant Ash stepped into the room they were using as their Main Base. It was situated in one of the old hospital wings. The room was large and had been set up with all sorts of temporarily accommodations. There were tables and chairs, even a few comfortable looking cots sitting around a large set up of monitors. There were two people sitting in front of it with headphones securely in place, staring at the screens./p

"We were getting worried," Desdemona added, standing up from her seat at another table. She had a disposable cup in her perfectly manicured hand, and a cool smile on her painted lips. "Did you get lost? Put out that cigarette in here."

"We were investigating," Ash replied, letting out her last puff of smoke before tossing her cigarette to the ground and snuffing it out with her boot. "Voices in the trees."/p

Desdemona placed her free hand on her hip. Mai wasn't certain but she thought that the woman's clothes may have been designer labels. It hardly seemed practical for spending time in a dirty, run down building. Even Ayako knew better than to do something like that. "Did you have a recorder running?" Des asked, her voice too sweet for the smile on her lips./p

"No," Naru interjected, perhaps tired of being ignored, "we did not. We have yet to unpack our equipment, obviously, and we would very much like to get started. Where may we set our things?"/p

The expression that she gave Naru sent chills down Mai's spine. It was like a cat looking down on its prey. Naru, however, was certainly not easily intimidated. It even looked like he raised his chin a bit, wordlessly challenging the woman before him. Their stare down barely lasted three second, but the tension made it feel like it had been three minutes of awkward silence./p

"Doctor Davies," Deittman interrupted, walking over to give Naru a handshake and a warm smile. He looked so… grandfatherly. How was it that they couldn't trust him? "Glad you made it here safely. If you will, just head right up those steps and into that room. You may use that one for your equipment. Once you've brought everything in, we'll have someone show you to the rooms we are using as sleeping quarters. Now, are you fine to find your way back to the dock on your own? I do have a few maps here for you."/p

Deittman waved a bit and a young man Mai hadn't met yet stood from his seat and brought over a manila folder filled with basic maps to SPR. "Hi there," he said, "I'm Ian McCane. I'm one of the American consultants."/p

Naru gave Ian a nod, but he did not introduce himself. "Thank you. Yes, we will be fine. Please excuse us. I do not want to waste anymore time."/p

With a nod from Deittman, SPR side stepped the two men and headed up to the steps on the right side of the room. The staircase was actually emin/em the room they were currently in, leading up to a platform that had its own open door. When they walked in, they found a room with one more exit out into a second floor hallway./p

The room wasn't as large as the one that Deittman was working out of, but that room also had two mini-fridges, a microwave, two folding tables with table clothes and baskets filled with snacks, and a backup generator. It was the main meeting area for everyone, not just Deittman's team. In all honesty, Mai was surprised that they were even given their own room—with its own tables and backup generator as well. She figured they would have been squeezing into one of the corners of the main room./p

"Mai, Ayako, Miss Hara," Naru said as they entered and set their bags down in the center of the floor. "Stay here and watch our things. Start unpacking what you can. emDon't/em leave the room."/p

He was looking directly at emher/em when he spoke. Usually, Mai would have probably been a little bit offended that he singled her out. However, if anyone was likely to go wandering about, it was her. It was emalways/em her. She frowned but nodded anyhow. Naru narrowed his eyes at her, as if trying to say emare you sure you understand?/em She glared back at him. Finally, he turned and exited the room with Monk, John, Yasuhara, and Lin./p

Mai sighed loudly and knelt down, immediately starting to unzip some of the equipment bags. She was an expert at the set up process by now, so she knew immediately where to start. Ayako and Masako, however, hardly ever helped with the set up so they just stared down at her as she started working. "How are you two feeling?" Mai asked, trying to move into business mode./p

"Feeling better, though I severely hope I won't have to do an exorcism or blessing today. I don't think I would have the energy," Ayako said and dropped into one of the holding chairs sitting nearby. It was one of the collapsible, canvas park chairs types, rather than the metal ones they usually had. Mai supposed that they were easier to transport in the boats./p

"I don't think either would help," Masako replied, though there wasn't a single ounce of malice in her words. She didn't mean that Ayako couldn't do it, which was the opinion she usually took. "The spirits here are too numerous—we could never exorcise them if we wanted. This is a place controlled by the dead. We are certainly the intruders on this island."/p

"Good afternoon, ladies, I hope you trip to the island was pleasant enough."/p

Mai set the monitor she had been carrying down on one of the tables and turned to the doorway—the one leading to the second floor hallway. Markus was standing with his sister, Isabella, smiling slightly at the three SPR members./p

These two are basically harmless, that's what Ash said. ' Mai thought as she returned the smile. "Good afternoon, Mr. Valentinian. The trip was fine—a bit bumpy but not so bad with the sun shining." She gave a small bow as she spoke. Masako also bowed slightly, though Ayako did nothing more than raise a brow at the man./p

"Please, call me Markus. We may come to rely on each other heavily while we are here—I think some friendliness would do us well. I am not sure if you've met, but this is my sister, Isabella. She is mute and primarily communicates through sign language. However, since I imagine most people here do not know sign language, she will have a notebook with her to help communicate." Markus gave his sister a bit of a nudge, causing her to step into the room and make way for him as well./p

"Isabella approached Mai first, probably because Mai had been the one to speak, and reached her hand out. Mai took it with a smile and gave it a shake. Isabella's eyes were different from her brothers—where as his were light and piercing, hers were darker and deeper. They reminded Mai of Naru's eyes… well, actually, more of Gene's. They were friendly, though reserved./p

"It's nice to meet you. I'm Mai, this is Masako, and she—" Mai pointed over to Ayako, "—is Ayako. We look forward to working with you."/p

"Isabella gave a nod and smile, one that matched her brother's, and stepped back. Looking at her, Mai couldn't help but think that the blonde woman vaguely resembled a doll. Of course, not a kokeshi doll like Masako, but one of the Victorian porcelain dolls (not that Mai had particularly had good luck with those sorts of dolls either…)/p

"Naru and Yasuhara walked in moments later, interrupting whatever Markus was about to say as he opened his mouth./p

"Is everything okay in here?" Naru asked, eyes narrowing as he saw Markus standing near Mai. Mai jumped and took an extra step away from the Valentinians, chuckling awkwardly./p

""Oh, yes, everything's fine. Markus was just introducing us to his sister. Naru, Yasu, this is Isabella. Isabella, this is—"/p

"Doctor Oliver Davis," Naru finished sharply. Mai supposed she couldn't blame him. Naru was what his friends from Japan called him, not a stranger they were just told not to trust. Luckily, before any awkwardness could fill the air, Yasu was sliding up to Isabella's side, a wide smile on his face./p

"My name is Osamu Yasuhara, but please, call me Yasu," he said, reaching his hand out. Isabella extended hers after a pause, and Yasu took it, clasping his other hand over as well to engulf hers completely. Mai rolled her eyes./p

Isabella gave a nod and a smile and then backed away, putting herself next to her brother once more. Mai pitied the young woman. She couldn't imagine the difficulty Isabella had to face, not being able to speak, especially in a dangerous environment such as Poveglia./p

"The siblings departed shortly after, heading out the other door to walk into the main room and joint he Deittman crew. Mai was about to continue her set up work when Naru's hand shot out, grabbing her wrist and pulling her to face him. She turned to look at him in surprise, only to find him looking livid—or, as livid as he could appear, behind his neutral mask. It was his eyes that gave him away./p

"Tell me, Mai, are you deaf?" He asked, an edge in his voice. Lin and John walked in as he spoke, halting at the door in confusion and blocking it from any other possible visitors./p

"Mai tried to snatch her arm back from his grasp, but Naru's long fingers gripped her slender wrist tightly and the more she fought, the tighter he held on. "You're hurting me, Naru," she said seriously, her jaw set tightly in place. Instead of letting go, she saw something flash behind his eyes—almost like a look of humor. She hadn't been worried before, but now…/p

"emI'm/em hurting you? Well imagine what will happen if you put your trust in one of others here. You could be more than emhurt./em"/p

Lin walked up behind Naru and placed a hand on the younger man's shoulder, giving it a squeeze. Naru continued giving Mai a rather hard look before ultimately letting her go. Mai immediately put a bit of space between her and Naru and rubbed her wrist./p

What did he expect from her? Did he want her to cower in fear of him? Did he want to get a rise out of her—for her to get worked up so he could put her down? She didn't plan on doing either. "If one of us is deaf Naru, it's you," she said lowly, her words coming out in almost a growl, "Ash said that they're 'harmless.' Besides, if we block ourselves in and refuse to interact with anyone else, it will probably only make them more suspicious of us. It could make them work harder to break up the team. Don't you think it's better for us to do our best to play along safely, and then stand our ground when the time comes?"/p

Naru's jaw twitched, and Mai instantly knew it—she was right. emShe/em was the one being cool headed and logical, for once./p

"We still have more equipment to bring back," John said, interrupting the rising tension in the room. Naru didn't respond./p

Mai leaned over and picked up the bag of cords and adapters. "Don't worry, we'll still be here when you get back," she said coolly. Her instinct was to smile and to assure him, and everyone, that she was fine. That things were fine./p

But she couldn't help the feeling that things were far from fine, and they were only going to get worse. So she wouldn't smile, not now. Not for him. Not for someone who apparently didn't seem to mind.

000

Author's Notes: I'mgonnasaythisbeforepeoplestartsendingangrymessages – yes, it's possible that Naru may have been a bit out of character at the end. But I promise, there's a reason for just about everything that I do. Again, it would be a heck of a lot easier if I could add in shots from Naru's POV, but I can't. I just can't. It would ruin everything I've built up over the course of the past chapters!

The formatting is way off for this chapter. I just pulled it up to post and saw that it was all wonky. Unfortunately I can't fix it until I'm back in the states...

Anyhow! I went Ghost Hunting in Leap Castle! I was there with my husband, sister, and friend. We were joined by Ghost Hunt Ireland, a well known team in the country. They were kind enough to wait for us for an extra hour when we showed up late (we got lost driving the Irish country side.) It was an amazing, amazing experience. We got a few hours of sleep- I slept better in a haunted castle on the exact spot the evil elemental was seen than I had up until that point! In the morning, the castle's owner even made us a homemade Irish breakfast which was delicious! So much fun. If ever you get to Ireland, look up Ghost Hunt Ireland, seriously!

Thanks for reading!

Ever your servant,

A.F


	15. Chapter 15

Ciao Poveglia

Rated: T

Shibuya Paranormal Research receives a special invitation to a 'psychic summit' being hosted at the infamously haunted Poveglia island. Though crossing half the globe with his team is not ideal, Naru simply cannot pass up the chance to get into the normally locked down location. [Rated T, possibly M for gore later.]

000

 **Day 54, Hour 13:46**

"You must be joking," Naru said flatly as Ash showed the SPR team to their sleeping quarters. The problem wasn't the fact that they were staying on slightly lumpy cots in a barely livable room, it was the fact that the men and women were separated.

Though it wasn't exactly uncommon for them to split into boys-rooms and girls-rooms while on cases, on something as big and as dangerous as Poveglia, they would have all preferred to be in one room as a team. To make matters worse, it wasn't just their team that was split, it was all of the teams. Some of the cots in both rooms were already lined with personal belongings, indicating that some of the others had already made themselves at home.

Ash shook her head. "Nope. These are the sleeping arrangements. These are the only two rooms set up to house us—the rest are too exposed or unsafe. No windows, roof caving in… These two are set up with portable heaters as well to keep people from freezing over night. No one will blame you if you want to move one or two cots into your meeting room. Any more than that and I'm sure Deittman and Des will pull the 'offended' card with you."

To make matters worse, out of the six beds in the women's room, three had been claimed in such a way that separated Mai, Masako, and Ayako from one another.

"Which bed is yours?" Mai asked, looking at Ash.

"I'm the one in front of the door. Des is two down from me. Isabella is diagonal."

Mai nodded. "I see… Do you think you would be willing to switch so that two of us could be next to each other?"

Ash tilted her head to the side and raised a brow. "Can any of you keep something from coming through that door if it really tries?" Mai frowned and shook her head. "Then I can't switch. I have to be the first line of defense if something Nasty tries to get to us."

Mai wanted to think that Ash was being overly cautious—paranoid even. But she had seen enough to know that in dark places, where spirits had power, anything was possible. The image of Masako sitting alone in a hidden, dark room flashed through Mai's memory. That case had been awful—by far the worst in which she had partaken. She didn't want something like that to be repeated.

Since no one else called out Ash's caution, it was obvious that the rest of the SPR team agreed as well.

"I'll make some protective wards to put around the doors and windows, if you don't mind," Monk said. He had been surprisingly quiet for far in the day, and Mai wondered if there was a reason for it.

Ash shrugged. "Go for it. Don't be surprised if they mysterious disappear though. You guys have your maps. Can you find your way back on your own?"

"Yes, we'll be fine. Out of curiousity, how long has your team been on Poveglia?" Naru asked. Mai had also wondered the same thing, since Ash seemed to have a pretty good grasp of the layout of the island.

"We've been here on and off for a few weeks. Had to make sure there were safe rooms to stay in, working generators, and enough water to make a few days here manageable, right? Anyhow, feel free to start exploring and setting up your own equipment. We'll be doing a cook out tonight, with yours truly manning the fire." Ash turned and gave a wave, not waiting for a response before she started walking down one of the long hallways alone. It was only seconds later before Mai could smell cigarette smoke wafting their way.

Mai didn't care for cigarette smoke, in fact, it drove her crazy. However, she supposed she would have to deal with it meant having an extra safety precaution around.

After the pyrokinetic was suitably gone, Lin pulled out one of their pieces of equipment and did a sweep around the women's room. Mai saw him nod, which much have indicated something to Naru, because he hummed in response. After Lin finished, he went into the men's room, which was larger by four beds, and did the same. One again, he nodded.

Naru waved the group forward, and they immediately started to follow him. Eventually, they found a small room with part of the side wall crumbling into the water below. Lin walked in, did his sweep, and shook his head. Naru responded by bringing the SPR team into the room.

"As a warning, it appears that there are video and or audio recording devices in both of the rooms. Be careful of what you saw and do, because you cannot be sure who is listening," Naru said, putting his hands into his pockets. "I've been thinking on this, and there is one thing I would like to keep quiet. In completing the paperwork for the trip, I completed forms pertaining to each of you. _For research purposes,_ I was asked about SPR's member abilities and specialties. Though I chose not to go in depth, they are aware that each of you, save Yasuhara, has some form of spiritual abilities. That is, except for Mai."

Mai raised a brow. "You didn't tell them about my abilities?" She felt vaguely offended by the fact that he apparently didn't deem her skills worthy enough of being shown off. Though she supposed she couldn't blame him because…

"I believed your abilities had gone dormant, _at the time._ "

"It is true," John said thoughtfully, "you haven't had any dream visions or astral projections since before SPR reopened."

Naru was right to think that her abilities had gone dormant. Heck, Mai even thought so too! But then, she started to get hit with her random periods of lost time, and she had her dream-warning just before they left Japan. But she hadn't told Naru about either of those things. He couldn't have known that things were starting to act up once more… Well, she supposed he may have figured out something just a few nights ago…

"It's possible that her abilities are not as dormant as I initially thought. Regardless, I want everyone to keep a particularly close eye on Mai and absolutely _do not_ mention any of her abilities, past or otherwise. We will have enough to worry about in protecting ourselves. If we can keep Mai from becoming a target, that's one less person to worry about," Naru said and there nods all around.

"Are you _sure_ that's the only reason you worry?" Ayako said with a smirk.

"Yes," Naru's said coolly and without missing a beat. Mai may have felt the rather icy response was directed at her, if she wasn't too busy being concerned about _everyone else being concerned with her._

They left the room shortly after and started to get their own things situated. Naru had made sure that their luggage all locked, and now they were particularly glad for that precaution. Though Mai herself didn't have much of value, besides the jewelry and dress that Ayako had bought her, she didn't like the thought of others possibly ruffling through her underwear.

Once they finished unpacking the sleeping bag and pillow sets they had been provided and setting their things on their bed, the group headed off to return to their base. They still needed to get base set up and then head out to make sure their monitoring equipment was set.

 **Day 54, Hour 16:13**

"This place gives me the creeps," Mai said she handed Monk one of the digital cameras send over from the UK. Monk was standing on a small ladder, borrowed from Deittman, and readying zip ties to attach to the camera's strap to hold it in place.

"Well it's a morgue, Mai, what did you expect," he replied with a groan.

"I know… I was just… talking that's all. It makes me feel better," she grumbled, more to herself than to Monk. She was on edge, partially because of Naru's treatment of her earlier, and partially because the building _was_ creeping her out. She hadn't ever been in a morgue before, and she hoped she wouldn't be in another for a very long time.

"I know, I'm sorry," Monk sighed and stepped down, "I don't mean to be short with you. I just… I have this headache I can't shake. It's driving me crazy."

Mai shrugged but didn't respond. It seemed that everyone was on edge now. Things had been mostly fine until they split up to start placing cameras. Ayako was going to come with them as well, but she ended up choosing to stay at base with Naru, who was walkie-talkie-ing everyone to tell them where to move their cameras.

She couldn't be sure if it was the paranoia that was getting to everyone so quickly, or if it was Poveglia itself. Every time she started to think that she was fine—that they were alone and there weren't spirits following them about—she would get an ashy taste in her mouth, as if to remind her that they were still there.

Mai and Monk started to exit the large room when he grabbed her and shushed her (even though she hadn't been making any noise.) He looked around then pointed up at one of the long, heavy chains hanging from one of the darkened corners of the room. "Do you see that?"

Mai nodded. She saw it. There was a large chain—heavy and dangerous—swinging wildly about in its corner. There was nothing around it to cause it, and it would take more than a bird or bat hitting it to make it move about with such force. As they continued to watch, the chain next to it started to pick up as well. And a few moments later, the next one.

The movement in the chains were steadily going down the line. Mai followed the path of the chains and realized that if it continued, it would block the doorway as well. "Monk…"

"I know. On the count of three, run for it."

"One…"

"Two…"

They didn't even get to three. The two of them sprint off and charged through the doorway, narrowly missing the first swing of the heavy chain. Just as they cleared the doorway, they heart a _smack_ as it hit the frame of the door. Mai continued moving anyhow, at least until she tripped over a pile of one hundred year old plaster, stone, and brick rubble laying on the floor.

She didn't fall down, luckily, instead, she did an awkward hop until she face planted into the wall of the room they were currently in.

"You okay?" Monk asked, grabbing her to keep her from falling backwards.

"Ow…" Mai groaned and rubbed her bruised nose. It ached a bit, but she doubted it was broken. It didn't hurt near enough.

"Good, you're fine, mostly," Monk sighed and smiled, running his hands through his hair. "The camera probably picked that up. We'll need to warn the others about that anyhow. Someone could get really hurt in there, if they aren't careful."

"I think we can get really hurt _everywhere_ if you aren't careful," Mai said. She took a few deep breaths, steadying it and calming her nerves. "That was the last of our cameras. What about the step ladder?"

"If Deittman wants it back so badly right now, he's welcome to go back and get it himself. I'm not going back in there—at least, not right now."

Mai nodded in agreement and then pulled the walkie talkie off of her collar. As the two of them started to walk from the morgue and into the trees outside again, she stared at it intently. If Naru was at base watching the monitors, he probably would have seen their moment of panic. He should have been buzzing over to them to make sure they were okay. So why hadn't he?"

000

 _Author's Notes: I know, the chapters are on the shorter side lately. I'm just hitting some rough patches and trying to get them out. At this point, I am in Ireland and just posting these as I go from my phone… Hopefully they're posting correctly!_

 _Thanks for reading!_

 _Ever Your Servant,_

 _A.F_


	16. Chapter 16

Ciao Poveglia

Rated: T

Shibuya Paranormal Research receives a special invitation to a 'psychic summit' being hosted at the infamously haunted Poveglia island. Though crossing half the globe with his team is not ideal, Naru simply cannot pass up the chance to get into the normally locked down location. [Rated T, possibly M for gore later.]

000

 **Day 54, Hour 16:25**

When Mai and Monk walked back into the main base, the tension in their bodies did not disappear, as they had both hoped. Instead, they walked into a bit of chaos, with Naru on the floor beneath one of the equipment tables and Lin behind a set of monitors. Yasuhara and Ayako were sitting in front of the monitors—Ayako with headphones on, shaking her head, and Yasu clicking around furiously—and even John and Masako were sifting through bags, looking for something.

"What… what's going on?" Mai asked, looking around at all of the movement in confusion. Naru's head was quick to peak out from his spot on the ground. It was weird to see him doing such a menial task. He was never the one to get down and dirty when it came to equipment set up.

"Why are you alone?" Naru asked, causing Mai to look over to Monk with a raised brow. They pointed to one another, but Naru just scowled, his flawless face contorting in fury.

 _Great, what did I do now…_

With a smooth movement that was probably only possible for Nary (maybe Lin), Naru was out from under the table and standing, brushing dirt from his black jacket. "Of course those bloody fools would do something like this," he snapped, not even bothering to disguise his anger in Japanese. "Are the two of you okay? What happened?"

"We were setting the cameras in the Morgue, like you asked," Mai started slowly. She wasn't sure what had Naru so upset, but she felt like she was walking on egg shells—or like she was cautiously trying to maneuver around a venomous snake.

"As we finished, there was some activity in the room. There are chains hanging from the ceiling—big, heavy ones—they started swinging. We had to make a run for it. We barely made it out before they were blocking the door way. We came straight back," Monk continued, placing his hand on Mai's shoulder for a bit of comfort. Though Naru was speaking to both of them, he was only looking at Mai.

Naru nodded and as he did, Mai swore she could see the tension in his body physically vanish as his normal composure returned. "I see… and you did not pass the Valentinians on your way?"

Mai shook her head. "We didn't see anyone on our way up… but we did take a detour. We didn't walk through the building like we had when we went down. We went straight outside because we felt uncomfortable in the building." She winced as she spoke. She thought for sure that Naru would scold her for her lack of courage during an investigation.

But he didn't. Instead, he changed the subject. "Everything went dark just about ten minutes ago. We saw you come onto the screen when you set up your camera, but that's about it. We're trying to get the equipment back up now."

As he spoke, the monitors flashed to life. They had blue, malfunction screens, but it was enough for Yasu to restart everything properly. At the same time, there was a clicking on the walkie talkies.

 _"Hello? Can anyone hear me?"_

It was Markus speaking through the little hand held devices. Naru put his hand out to Mai, and she rolled her eyes as she pulled hers from her shirt collar. "We can hear you," Naru replied, "and my team has returned to base safely. It seems they _missed_ you on your way down."

 _"We walked through the building. Perhaps they walked outside. Is Miss Taniyama okay?"_

Mai barely noticed Naru's brow twitch as he turned, putting his back to Mai. "She's fine. It seems there was an incident in the Morgue. Did you happen to see anything—sense anything while down there?"

The monitors were rebooted by that point, and Yasuhara immediately pulled up the feed from the Morgue cameras. It showed Markus and Isabella standing just in view. Markus shook his head. _"No… but I am not a psychic. I do not sense anything at any point. Isabella?"_

They watched as he turned towards his sister, but she shook her head. She used her hands to sign something out to her brother. _"She does not sense anything either. Better luck later, perhaps? We are going to return now."_

Naru gave a barely audible hum, though Mai could hear it from standing so near to him. He sometimes gave that hum when he knew something he was debating on sharing. But he did not share. Instead, he handed Mai back her walkie.

"Uh, Naru," Mai said as he started to walk away. He stopped and glanced over his shoulder at her. "Just, hold still a moment." She stepped forward and placed a hand on his shoulder to hold him in placed and then started swiping down his back. He had light colored dirt and dust all over his jacket, even a small spider. She figured he wouldn't want to be walking around looking like that, what with his narcissistic tendencies and all.

He stiffened but allowed her to continue until she released him and clapped her hands together a few times, getting whatever was left on her hands to go floating into the air. "Much better. So when's dinner?"

 **Day 54, Hour 18:05**

"Ash, pay attention, it's starting to fizzle out!"

Mai sat in one of the canvas chair that was brought outside, drinking a soda and waiting for her food to finish. It was a nice night out, a bit warmer than it had been in the recent days, and being together as a group put her at ease. Sure, there were things in the woods making her feel a bit uncomfortable—movement, whispers, the feeling of eyes on her back—but being surrounded by eleven other people made her feel like she was safe. Or at least _safer_.

Naru, Lin, and Masako had chosen to stay in the base and eat a meal of rice and tofu made in a portable rice cooker sent over with the SPR equipment. Mai knew that there were specific reasons to their meal choices, but for herself, she didn't feel the need to skip the cookout. Two of the American affiliates of Diettman were also still inside the building, sitting at their own set of monitors and watching for signs of activity.

"I'm pretty sure the only reason you bring me with you guys is to make sure you can boil water on these trips," Ash muttered and swiped her left hand through the air. The fire roared to life suddenly, causing Ian, who was cooking the hot togs and burgers like the good American he was, to lurch backwards.

"What the hell! I think you singed my eyebrows!"

"Ask me nicely next time and I might be more careful," Ash replied and started to dig through her hoodie pocket for her cigarettes. As she pulled the slightly crumpled pack out, Des walked by and snatched them out of her hand.

"Not around the food! Do you have no sense of decency? Some of us don't want to smell your foul smoke while we eat!" Des said and stepped away from the other woman. She moved around the fire to pull up an empty seat next to Ayako and Monk, and immediately leaned in to start speaking with them. Mai couldn't hear what they were saying, but then again, she figured she didn't want to.

She still got a chilly feeling down her spine each time Desdemona passed her. She didn't like it one bit.

"Do you think she's ignoring us because we don't have any psychic powers?" Yasu asked, leaning over to speak lowly to Mai.

Mai shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe. I guess that would make sense. We aren't important if we don't contribute anything special."

"Apparently… Though, I'd _love_ to contribute _something special_ to her," Yasu said, his eye brows wiggling. Mai swatted him in his shoulder. "Ouch, Mai, so violent…"

"You're so ridiculous, Yasu, you can't be serious! I mean… Her name is Desdemona! She has the word _demon_ in her name!"

Yasuhara rubbed his shoulder and smiled. " _Desdemona_ is actually a character from the Shakespeare play, _Othello_."

"Oh," Mai said thoughtfully. Did that make the name better…?

"She was killed by her husband in the play. Very tragic. Actually, that _also_ takes place in Venice," Yaru replied.

"Well, let's hope that no one will be dying this time in Venice, whether they have a… cursed name or not. Oh look, our food's up!" Mai stood from her seat, leaving her soda in the slot on the arm rest, and got in line for the freshly grilled food.

Ash was the first one to get her food. She took her plate with a burger, topped it off with some condiments, and then immediately walked up to Desdemona with her hand outstretched. The French woman sighed loudly and returned the cigarette pack. Ash took it and walked away from the fire, moving to a spot against the wall of the main building. She was barely in the light of the flames, and it made Mai uneasy, seeing the woman so far off alone.

Mai took her food next, opting instead for two hot dogs. She was starving after having not eaten since breakfast and spending the day doing some heavy lifting. After she topped her own off, she retreated to her chair to get her soda. She was about to sit down again when she thought better of it and walked to follow Ash.

"You shouldn't wander away from the group," Ash said as Mai neared.

Mai smiled a bit. "Well, I'm safe with you, aren't I?"

"You boss probably wouldn't think so."

She laughed. "Ignore him. He's very suspicious of…. Well, everyone. Especially after… well, you know. May I join you?"

Ash swept her arm to the side, "there's plenty of wall for both of us. Though you should sit in the light. Just in case."

Mai nodded and then sat down in the space between Ash and the corner of the wall. The two women sat in silence, eating their food and watching the rest of the group mingle. "I hope it is not too impolite to ask but… why are you here, if you don't want to be? We all came voluntarily."

Ash didn't answer right away. She finished her food and took a long drink from her soda can before she said anything. "Deittman pays me a lot of money. I have a sister back in the States, and that money's paying for her college."

"Is it… worth risking your life? That money? You said you didn't think you would live through the weekend," Mai said, looking down at her soda can and playing with the aluminum tab. It took her a moment to realize that the condensation on the can made her chilly—she felt warm otherwise. In fact, she felt warmer sitting next to Ash than she did by the fire itself.

"It's worth it. I'm dying anyhow. I don't have more than a few years, and that's if I don't use my pyro-kinesis." As she spoke, she reached into her cigarette pack and lit up. She inhaled deeply and then exhaled, blowing smoke off into the direction of the woods. "It's the Fire Spirit. It was never meant to be contained in a human body."

Mai didn't know what to say. What could she say? It was like talking to someone who was terminally ill—one who had accepted their fate. "Is there… Can you get it out of your body?"

Ash didn't seem to hear her. She leaned forward and stared off into the blackness of the forest around them. Mai leaned forward as well. It took her a moment, but she felt it too. There was something very close to them. It wasn't necessarily evil, that she could tell, but certainly something curious of them. After a few seconds of it not moving, Ash leaned back against the wall.

"There's a way. But I would have to curse someone else with the Fire Spirit, like someone did to me. I'd rather die and release it, then give it to someone else. I've lived my life and made my choices. I'm fine with it."

It… hurt Mai, to hear someone talking about giving up. A few years ago, Mai probably would have told Ash to fight it, to do whatever she could to help save herself. Maybe there was a part of her that would have offered to take the Fire Spirit into her own body, if it meant saving another person. But Mai had grown up a little bit. She knew that decisions like this—life or death decisions—didn't come easy. They took a lot of time and thought. By telling Ash that she should continue to fight it would undermine the struggle Ash had already gone through. Besides, being willing enough to sacrifice herself to keep from cursing someone else was a noble enough intent, wasn't it?

"You remind me of her," Ash said and picked up her own soda can, spinning it about. "My sister, I mean. She's about your age. Similar height and hair cut too, if you can believe it. From behind you even look like her."

They fell into a comfortable silence for a few minutes. Mai would have been content enough to sit there a bit longer, had Lin not walked out of the building to check on everyone and send Monk and Yasu in for their shift. Mai reluctantly stood, knowing that Naru would be out soon as well. As she did, Ash's arm shot out to catch Mai's sleeve.

Mai looked down at the other woman in confusion.

She stared at Mai, as if choosing her words carefully, and then said, "I truly hope you'll make it through this weekend."

000

 _Author's Notes: I know I know, so many OC's this chapter… I hope it's okay. People didn't seem to mind Ash and Markus too much, so I figured I would continue on with the plot I've been developing, which does involve them. Remember, there's a reason behind most of what I do and what I choose to elaborate on… Next chapter—the first night on Poveglia!_

 _I am officially back in the states. Which is good because I need to start catching up. I only have a few more chapters written, so I need to jump back on that and get more dished out! Thank you to everyone who kept reviewing even while I was gone and couldn't post very often! Ireland was amazing but it's certainly good to be home. I hope everyone had a great Halloween!_

 _Thanks for reading!_

 _Ever Your Servant,_

 _A.F_


	17. Chapter 17

Ciao Poveglia

Rated: T

Shibuya Paranormal Research receives a special invitation to a 'psychic summit' being hosted at the infamously haunted Poveglia island. Though crossing half the globe with his team is not ideal, Naru simply cannot pass up the chance to get into the normally locked down location. [Rated T, possibly M for gore later.]

000

 **Day 55, Hour: ?**

 _Why are my feet so cold? Ouch! That hurt!_

It took Mai a few minutes to realize that she wasn't touching the ground. She looked down at her feet to see what she had stepped on, only to see what she was several inches _above_ the ground. But she felt the pain as she stepped on something hard and uneven again.

 _I'm astral projecting again, aren't I!?_

 _Okay, okay… what happened? How did this happen?_

She remembered waking up when Ash started getting ready to go down for her shift at the monitors. Desdemona had snapped at her, telling her to be quiet. She remembered thinking that she had to use the restroom, but that she shouldn't go alone. She got up and whispered to Ash, asking if the other woman would walk with her. Ash agreed.

Mai hurried back and was grateful that Ash was still waiting outside of the restroom when she finished. The woman waited until Mai was at the door to the bedroom before giving a wave and turning to continue on to the main bases of operations.

Then it went dark.

Mai was currently standing –er, floating? – just outside of the women's bedroom door. _Masako! If I can get to Masako, then maybe she'll see me and get me help!_ Mai turned and reached for the door hoping to walk right through it…but instead, she went flying backwards.

 _Right. There are wards on the door. I can't get through them in this form…_ The boy's bedroom was the same. She couldn't get through either of the rooms while they were protected.

There was a pain in her foot, telling her that she didn't have any time to waste. Her body was still off moving about on its own, and apparently she had lost her slippers.

She hurried down the hallway, which was much like flying since she didn't have a body weighing her down, and turned the corner. There were lights on in the main base, but that door was also warded. Any other time, she would praise Monk for his thorough work, but right now, it was kind of getting on her nerves.

 _Okay, downstairs. I'll try Diettman's base._ The stairwell down wasn't far, though hardly anyone had been using it because it wasn't exactly in good condition. Obviously, it didn't make a difference for her now. She was the flight in an instant, and heading for the door to Diettman's base, which, thankfully, wasn't warded.

Ash sat at the monitors alone, legs kicked up on the desk and tapping against a box, while drinking from a red bull. Mai neared and tried to touch her, though she wasn't certain it worked. Ash wasn't a medium like Masako. Still, the touch was enough to cause Ash to jolt upright, knocking the box and all of the cords that had been in it to the ground. She looked around, but she didn't seem to see Mai.

 _"Ash!"_ Mai shouted, though her voice couldn't be heard. _"I'm right HERE! Please see me!"_

Though the other woman couldn't see her, Ash's eyes kept coming back to the spot that Mai was standing in. She shook her head and rubbed her eyes, then turned back to her monitors. Mai was about to try to get her attention again when Ash leaned forward and zoomed in on one of the locations being filmed by Deittman's camera.

"Oh damn…. Damn _damndamn._ " She grabbed one of her walkie talkies and jumped up, running to the steps that led to the SPR monitoring room. "Doctor Davis! Lin! We have a problem!"

Mai followed and watched from the door as Ash ran in, radioing in to whoever was on the other end of her line. "There's a team member on the grounds, alone, I'm going out to find her, get someone into the monitoring room." She clicked off the walkie talkie.

"What's happening?" Naru asked, standing from his seat. He looked genuinely concerned by the fact the woman barged into his space.

"Your girl Mai—I just saw her on one of our cameras. It looks like she's heading towards the hospital. Maybe the bell tower, I don't know, but I'm going now to try to catch her. It's pitch black and she doesn't even have a flashlight—"

Mai was thrilled to see that neither Lin nor Naru hesitated to run to the door with Ash. They let the woman lead, since she was most familiar with the island, but were close on her heels as they ran, flashlights in hand. Mai could hear a high pitched whistling as well, and after a moment, she realized that it was Lin sending out one of his familiars.

"I'll know shortly if Mai is in her bed or not," Lin said as they ran.

"What, don't believe me?" Ash asked.

"It's just a precaution, I don't mean any offense," Lin replied. Mai was surprised that he even bothered his almost-apology.

"None taken."

"Where was she when you saw her?" Naru asked as they exited the building, into the woods. They could have gone through the building, but it was arguably faster to go outside, along the edge of the building instead. The ground was mostly even and they were less likely to trip than they were in the hallways of the decaying structure.

"She was outside—I saw her walk by our camera that's set up over the small bridge. She wasn't moving very fast… Just sort of walking. I'm hoping we can catch her. Does this sort of thing happen often?" Ash asked. She stumbled but caught herself before Naru could trip over her as well.

"More than I'd prefer to admit," Naru muttered dryly. Ash likely hadn't even heard him.

"Naru, she definitely isn't in her bed. She probably did… wander off," Lin said, ducking to avoid a low tree branch. Naru nodded but didn't say a word.

They continued on for another minute before Naru shouted, "there she is!" One of their flash lights had just managed to illuminate Mai's actual figure before she turned and entered the building next to them.

Naru, Lin, and Ash were hot on Mai's trail while spirit-Mai followed behind them. They moved into the building and split off, looking to see where she had gone into the building. Spirit-Mai was about to follow when something caught her eye.

Well it wasn't so much as some _thing_ as some _one_. There was a little girl in a blue dress—a dress from another time, that was for certain. She held a charred doll in her hand and she just stood, staring at Mai. The other three apparently didn't see the little girl, confirming to Mai that she was, in fact, a spirit.

 _"Um, hi there."_

The girl opened her mouth and said something, but Mai didn't understand the language. She finished speaking and looked to Mai, as if waiting for an answer.

 _"I… I'm sorry, I don't understand you. Do you… need something?"_

Mai stepped forward to try to get a bit closer, but the little girl stepped back. She looked upset and repeated whatever it was that she had said, though Mai still couldn't understand it. However, now that she was a little closer, Mai could see that half of the girl's face was badly burned. Clumps of hair were missing, all on the girl's right side, and her dress was scorched. Her hands had boils on them as well. Mai knew then—this was a plague victim. Maybe one who had been burned alive in one of the plague pits

The child continued to try to communicate, but became increasingly frustrated when Mai couldn't respond. She could feel a sort of energy pick up around her astral form as the girl's anger rose. She seemed ready to poltergeist, and Mai's friends had no idea.

Soon, another figure appeared. It was… also a female? At least, Mai thought it was? It was hard to tell. The figure appeared to be in a hospital gown. Its head was shaved down, and not well. There were cuts and scars from areas that had been nicked with a straight razor. However, those details were minor. The most blaring aspect was the fact that there were holes in the figure's head around its skull, and its left eyeball was slightly… displaced… with blood running down its tear duct and face.

The sight was gruesome. So gruesome that she probably would have been sick to her stomach… if she had an actual stomach at the moment. But, since she was in her astral form, she didn't have to worry about that.

Despite its gruesome look, it did nothing harmful. It walked up to the little girl and placed a hand on the child's shoulder, giving it a comforting squeeze.

 _Definitely a woman,_ Mai thought.

The child looked up at the _woman_ and nodded. Together, the pair turned and walked down the hallway, away from Naru, Lin, and Ash. The rising energy stopped and dissipated shortly after. _Well, at least I ran into 'friendly-ish' spirits… Now, where did my body get to?_

As if on cue, Naru shouted out her name. Mai floated off into that direction until she found him—and herself—on a ladder heading up to the bell tower. The ladder was metal, but very old and rusted. It was incredibly, incredibly unsafe. And her body was already more than halfway up it, in bare feet.

 _I'm going to need a tetanus shot after this weekend…_

Lin and Ash entered moments later, staring up at the two younger individuals on their way to the bell tower.

"Has anyone been up there since your team arrived?" Lin asked, whistling and calling his familiars back to him. Mai figured that they had been out looking for her as well.

Ash shook her head. "No—too dangerous. The ladder isn't sturdy, and we couldn't risk anyone getting stuck up there. I have no idea what's up there now. Hopefully a few bats, and that's it." She didn't sound too sure of herself, and Lin's deepening frown indicated that he was worried as well. Naru said nothing as he caught up to Mai, putting his body almost flush against hers to keep her from falling in case she slipped.

"Mai, we have to go back down. It's not safe. Can you hear me?" Naru's voice was even and calming as he spoke, and though Mai could see him and hear him, she couldn't respond. Something was keeping her from re-entering her body.

Matters were becoming worse, however, because apparently the girl and the patient were not the only spirits awake and active at this time of night. Mai watched as more entered into the small room of the bell tower's entryway. It looked like mostly patients as well, based upon their attire. They were hospital gowned and equally grotesque. Some were missing limbs. Some were snarling.

 _It was a warning_ , Mai thought, _the little girl was warning us!_

And it was a warning they needed. As the spirits started to enter, they started to get angry. A few grabbed onto her astral form and pulled her. It was an odd sensation, being restrained by the snarling spirits. She was terrified but they were exactly hurting her—could they hurt her in this form? Regardless, she let out blood curling scream from her astral lips.

It was a scream that echoed throughout the room as if it were brought it by the wind. It came from everywhere and no where all at once, causing Lin and Ash to look around them, and Naru to look below. Before they had time to react, the spirits started to manifest. They surrounded the two individuals on the ground and then started to awkwardly crawl up the walls after Naru and physical-Mai.

"Okay, Mai, we've got to keep moving. If you're going up, we need to go up," Naru said and nudged Mai's body with his own. It was enough to get her body to move again and soon, the two of them were disappearing up through the portal to the bell tower.

Lin whistled again, summoning all of his familiars to him at once. As they zoomed into existence, one passed through the spirit restraining Mai's left side. It caused the spirit to cry out but then disappear. Having her left side free was enough for her to wretch herself from the other spirit's grasp and then thrust herself into the air after her body. She still had to try to fight off a few more if she were to get through to the top.

"Can you do anything to help?" Lin asked, sending his familiars throughout the room. He couldn't see any spirits himself to know where to aim them, so he was only taking lucky guesses, Mai knew. Still, he sent three of his five upwards after Naru—probably as a way to protect him and Mai's body if there was something sinister waiting for them.

"I can but… It's not going end well," Ash replied, pulling out her lighter and clicking it twice. It wasn't catching, much to her frustration.

"What do you mean? It can't be worse than this. I can feel the energy, their power is growing. They could kill Mai in the state she's in," Lin said and swung his arm out, directing the remaining two familiars. They flew another spirit blocking Mai's way, though she had to dodge them herself as well. She wasn't sure what would happen to her if one passed through her astral form.

"Yeah… Just… If I get out of control, don't hesitate to knock me out, okay? I'm serious. Make sure to put me down if you have to," she said as the lighter finally flared to life. She put her other hand over it, catching the flame. Once she slipped her lighter back into her pocket, she threw the flame back and forth like Mai had seen at the Yamado shrine some weeks earlier, letting it grow.

"How will I know if it gets to that point?"

"Oh, you'll know." Mai barely noticed the change in Ash's eye color before there was a ball of fire flying straight at her.

000

 _Author's Notes: before I am questioned on "why didn't you use any of the other established characters? Why did you have to use an original character? Because this is why—it makes sense that only two of the SPR team would be awake at the time Mai wandered off. So, I had to pick two, and Naru had to be one of them, which means Lin would be the one sitting with him. The others would be sleeping and wouldn't had enough time to get to them, even if they did happen to wake up after Ash's call. Out of the foreigners, Ash is the only one with an 'active' power (as they say in Charmed.) If two people are going to help Naru rescue Mai, then it made most sense for it to be Lin and Ash. Hope that explains it!_

 _Thank you to all of my reviewers! I'm trying to catch up on all of them since being gone! **Oxybry, GreenDrkness, crazyanimefreak15** \- thank you all as always for your consistent reviews! **Sesshy's Rose, MissKiku, II Cherokee II,** and random guest- thank you guys for your reviews as well! I hope you will continue reading!_

 _Next chapter—Naru and Mai in the bell tower! Will information on her black outs finally be revealed? Find out next time on_ _ **Ciao Poveglia!**_

 _Thanks for reading!_

 _Ever Your Servant,_

 _A.F_


	18. Chapter 18

Ciao Poveglia

Rated: T

Shibuya PsychicResearch receives a special invitation to a 'psychic summit' being hosted at the infamously haunted Poveglia island. Though crossing half the globe with his team is not ideal, Naru simply cannot pass up the chance to get into the normally locked down location. [Rated T, possibly M for gore later.]

000

 **Day 55, Hour ?**

Mai barely managed to lunge out of the way as the ball of fire zoomed passed her, missing her head by mere inches, and hitting one of the grotesque spirits behind her square in the chest. The spirit gurgled and then fizzled out of existence. One of Lin's familiars flew my moments later, putting a hole through another spirit's neck. Together, it was enough space for Mai's astral form to make it up the ladder and through the opening that led into the bell tower, where her body was hopefully waiting for her.

It was dark in the tower, darker than even below. At least on the bottom floor there was some light from the moon streaming in through windows and holes in crumbling walls. Up here, it was nothing but blackness. Luckily, she could hear Naru's voice leading her to her body.

"Mai, can you hear me?" Naru's voice was gentle and coaxing as he tried to get a response from her. There was a flicker of light as he turned on his flashlight. The beam was weak and the power was obviously draining. They would probably only have a few minutes of light, at this rate, and then it would be nothing but darkness.

 _"I can, Naru, I can! I just… I can't get back into my body! Oh, what am I going to do…"_ Mai floated over and then set herself next to her body. It was odd, seeing herself with her half open eyes and parted lips, staring down at nothing in particular. Had this been happening each time that she lost time? Would she even remember this when all of it was said and done?

Naru's jaw set and he frowned. He closed his eyes for a moment and then opened them. "Gene? Are you there?"

Mai's body responded to his words, sitting up straighter and turning to look at Naru.

"Noll… There are others…. Want in… Keeping them back…"

A cold chill went down Mai's spine. It was her voice, but the words were not hers. She spoke in English—with a British accent, even—and she had called him _Noll_.

 _"Gene! Is that you? Please… I need to get back to my body… If these spirits get me…"_ Tears welled in her eyes as Mai felt a surge of emotion run through her. In some ways, she was glad to know that Gene was still around. However, in other ways, she was not. She didn't want him to be around. He needed to pass on. He needed to go before he couldn't leave anymore. She also didn't like the idea of him using her body. It was… It was almost a betrayal. An invasion she wasn't sure if she cared for.

"You can't keep doing this, Gene," Naru said sternly, grabbing Mai's physical shoulders and shaking her a bit. "You promised you would move on! You gave me your message—you shouldn't be here anymore!"

"You didn't… _accept_ … my message," Mai— _Gene_ said, and Mai's physical mouth twitched upwards.

 _What message? Oh… My last black out. That must have been it—he must have taken control of my body then too. Maybe they spoke in Naru's room, when Yasu said I was there. But why… why didn't Naru say anything? Why didn't he tell me what was happening?_

Mai's physical body winced, as if it were in pain. Mai's astral form, however, didn't feel it. It likely wasn't her body feeling it—it was Gene's spirit. "Noll… You need to… anchor her. Bring her back… Before it' too late."

Naru nodded as the light started to flicker again. It dulled a bit more. At the same moment, Mai saw movement out of the corner of here eye. In the opening in the bell tower's floor, an arm—and then another—was sticking out, trying to climb through the opening. There was an orange glow below, and Mai could hear Lin shouting. Things were getting out of hand. Mai turned back to look at Naru and her body.

He took her body's hands in his own and closed his eyes. Mai watched with interest, wondering what he was doing. It was hardly the time to let his guard down! But as she thought that, she felt a warmth in her hands. It tingled at first, and then it was like a magnetic pull. Her astral form was drawn to her body, her hands leading the way. She watched as her form blurred, at least to her eyes, and then Gene's spirit fell from her body. He laid on the ground, clutching her chest and smiling sadly at her.

 _"I'm sorry Mai. I'm trying, I really am…"_

She opened her mouth to ask what he meant, but she didn't have the chance. The tingling filled the rest of her body until she was warm all over and… and she was back. She was opening her eyes to see Naru sitting in front of her, holding both of her hands in his.

"Naru…" She whispered, not wanting to startle him.

He opened his eyes quickly, though they weren't as kind or gentle as she had hoped they would be after his gentle touch. They were sharp and alert, and soon after, he pulled his hands from hers and placed them on either side of her face, forcing her to look him in the eye.

"Why do you call me Naru?"

"What?" Mai asked, trying to pull away from his grasp. He wouldn't let her.

" _Why_ do you call me _Naru?_ "

Mai sighed. "Because you're the most narcissistic jerk I've ever met," she replied dully. "Will you let me go?"

Naru let out a small breath and shook his head, smiling ever so slightly. He released her head and let his hands fall down to her shoulders. "I just had to make sure someone _else_ hadn't snuck into your body."

"I… I don't understand. What do you mean, 'someone else'?" Mai asked, placing her hands on Naru's arms. She thought he would release her and pull away, but he didn't. He sat there with his hands grasping her shoulders for another moment. He might have stayed for even a moment _longer_ if the flashlight hadn't gone out.

"We'll talk later. We need to get down from here." As Naru stood, he let out a bit of a groan. Mai didn't say anything about it, though she was sure he was hoping she hadn't heard. He had used his PK, and he was probably feeling pretty weak himself since he didn't make it a habit of using it properly. If anything, his slight sign of weakness made Mai snap back to attention and set her mind on what she needed to do. She didn't want him passing out while they were stuck in the bell tower.

She stood as well and reached out for him, snagging his shirt to keep them from getting separated. He pulled away quickly. Mai was going to open her mouth to say something, but his hand searched out hers and grasped on tightly. He guided her through the darkness over to the opening they would need to climb down.

"This… may be a problem," Naru muttered as the two of them looked down below.

And it was a problem.

" _That's_ what she meant when she said it wouldn't end well," Mai replied.

She could feel the warmth of Ash's flames even from their space two stories higher. Mai may not have been able to see any spirits, now that she wasn't in her astral form, but she highly doubted there were any left. She was surprised that there was _anything_ left, to be honest. At least most of the building was brick and stone, or they probably would have had an inferno on their hands.

Down below, Lin was trying to get close enough to Ash to do… well anything. Flames swirled around her, keeping him from getting near. Her oversized hoodie was mostly burned up, as were parts of her jeans—though Ash herself didn't seem to mind. Instead, she had a grin plastered to her face.

"It's the Fire Spirit. What do we do?" Mai asked, looking over at Naru. He shook his head.

"There's nothing _we_ can do from up here. But if Lin doesn't do something, then we're going to be stuck. The ladder is too hot for us to try to climb down."

Mai nodded and then leaned into the opening a bit. Naru's grip on her hand tightened as she did so. "Lin! We're fine! Take your familiars back!" She shouted, hoping that he could hear her over the crackling of the flames. She leaned back into the 'safety' of the bell tower and coughed a bit from the smoke. "I think we may die from smoke inhalation before the ladder cools down."

"A very apt observation."

Mai was surprised. Instead of a cold, condescending tone, Naru seemed almost amused. Had Gene possessed Naru somehow?

Lin apparently heard her because there was a whizzing by her head as the three familiars he had sent up to watch over them went flying back down. Moments later, all five were flying at Ash. There was a moment where the air seemed to stand still—as the familiars passed through her body—and the flames started to snuff out. It was like all of the air was sucked out of the area. Mai and Naru both choked on their next breath since there was nothing there to inhale.

When nothing but smoke remained, the air seemed to return. They still coughed since there was so much smoke in the nearly blowing air, but it passed. There were enough holes in the bell tower to cause a breeze to pass through and make the air breathable again.

"Lin, are you okay down there?" Naru called out between his coughs.

There was a pause which was long enough for Mai to start to worry, but Lin responded. "Yeah… I'm fine… A little scotched. Ash is unconscious. Hopefully."

 _"Mai, Naru, anyone down here?"_

Monk's voice echoed down the hallway. "Yeah, down here," Lin called out in response. The smoke cleared enough for Mai to see that Lin was leaning against the stone wall near the entrance and Ash was a crumbled mess on the floor a few feet from the ladder.

Monk and Ayako appeared moments later with Markus and Isabella hot on their tails. "What the hell happened here?" Ayako said, waving away smoke from her face. Ash's hoodie was still smoldering.

"Long story," Lin mumbled.

"Where are Mai and Naru?" Monk asked, looking around the room and the hallways.

"Up here," Naru called out, causing Monk to immediately turn this flashlight on the entrance to the bell tower. "The ladder is too hot at the moment. I could make it down using my sleeves to protect my hands, but Mai is currently shoeless."

Isabella immediately pulled off her own shoes—a pair of slip ons in grey suade—and handed them to her brother.

"I will come up and bring shoes," Markus offered, looking up at the duo.

Naru groaned but nodded. "That's fine."

Markus, who was wearing a tee shirt and a well worn men's sweater, awkwardly shoved one shoe into each sleeve to keep them from falling and pulled the extra fabric over his hands to protect them as he moved up the ladder. He hissed at first, probably feeling the warmth on the lower rungs through his fabric, but then quickly moved up to meet them.

Naru released Mai's hand the moved away from the opening to let Markus into the tower. He pulled himself into the room and sat on the edge. "Here you are, Miss Taniyama. Are you well?"

Mai couldn't help but blush as he spoke to her. He looked… so concerned. "I'm fine," she answered and nodded. "I have a few cuts and bruises. But it could be worse."

"That is good to hear," he replied and then started to turn to go back down. "Now, I will go down first. You should come just after so that if you should slip, I can catch you."

"I think it would be better if I went first," Naru quickly replied. It was too dark for Mai to see his facial expression now, but she suspected he just didn't like Mai putting her back to Markus.

Markus chuckled. "I mean no offense but… I think I am the one more capable of catching Miss Taniyama. I will go first."

 _He just called Naru weak._ Inside, she was laughing. Rolling on the floor, hysterically laughing. But on her exterior, she kept her face completely calm as she followed Markus. She didn't want Naru to throw a fit and he was probably already seething.

As she moved by Naru, she stopped leaned in close to him. "Just… be careful doing down. Go slow. I know you used your PK—"

"I'll be fine, Mai," Naru answered through gritted teeth.

Mai sighed and nodded. She knew he wasn't angry at her. He was angry at Markus. Maybe even Gene too. But not her.

And it hit her as she started to climb down the ladder—slowly and with her long sweater balled at the firsts—he was never mad at _her_. Over the past few months, when he suddenly seemed so angry or cold or distant towards her, it was never actually because of _her_.

It was because of _himself._

000

 _Author's Note: at this moment, this is the last chapter I have written pre-Ireland. I'm not sure when I'm posting this. I hoped to have more written before I left but alas… it just wasn't meant to be._ _Anyhow, for those of you who were expecting a lovey-dovey make out session or something in the bell tower… nah. That's just not me, haha. They still have three more days on Poveglia, after all! Can't have all the tension resolved that fast!_

 _ **Greendrkness, II Cherokee II, Oxybry, Guest, SterlingClear** : thank you all for your reviews! They keep me motivated to keep on writing!_

 ** _DragonSlayer2187:_** _thank you for your review! I am so glad someone else who has been there is reading and can relate to the setting! I bought a necklace while I was there as well- it was a large, glass heart pendant with black matte details on the back and the sides of the front, and cool-jewel tones swirled together in the middle! I adore it-but only bring it out on special occasions_ _since I know I'll never get one like it again! Thank you for your review! I hope you'll stick with me!_

 _Thanks everyone for reading!_

 _Ever Your Servant,_

 _A.F_


	19. Chapter 19

Ciao Poveglia

Rated: T

Shibuya Psychic Research receives a special invitation to a 'psychic summit' being hosted at the infamously haunted Poveglia island. Though crossing half the globe with his team is not ideal, Naru simply cannot pass up the chance to get into the normally locked down location. [Rated T, possibly M for gore later.]

000

 **Day: 55, Hour: 04:32**

"Lin, you don't have to do that, I can take her," Monk said for the third time as the group who had gathered in the bell tower started making their way towards their main bases. They moved slowly, though most of that was due to Lin's pace.

"I knocked her out, I'll carry her," he said, his voice coming out as barely more than a growl. It was clear that Monk's persistent questioning was getting to the Chinese male. Though Lin himself was quite tired from his fight against the aggressive spirits, that didn't stop him from kneeling down and picking up the crumpled body of Ash when the time came to move. Both Monk and Markus had offered, but Lin had refused. In some ways, it made sense. Lin was the tallest and the strongest, and Ash was already nearly as tall as Monk. It would have been too cumbersome for either of the other men to attempt carrying her.

Monk did not ask again. Instead, he fell back a step and looked at Mai, giving her a shrug.

Mai certainly wasn't going to argue with Lin. She supposed he may have felt guilty for not showing any restrain in sending all five of his familiars straight through the other woman. In Mai's opinion, however, he didn't have much choice. Ash had even told him to knock her out if it got too far out of hand. But Mai knew that there was more to Lin than he usually let show, and he did have a conscious beneath his tough exterior.

Lin and Naru were the first two to go through the doors into Deittman's main base. They barely managed to get two steps in before they stopped. If it hadn't been a double door, they probably would have blocked the entire area.

" _Woah_ ," Mai couldn't help but gasp as she peered in through the gap between Naru and Lin, "what _happened?_ "

Deittman's base was Destroyed. Destroyed with a capital _D_ for certain. Monitors, tables, chairs…. Everything was thrown. But what was most peculiar was the _way_ they were thrown. It wasn't until Mai had pushed passed to get a better look that they had realized there had been a chair hanging from one of the rafters. Naru barely managed to grab Mai and jerk her backwards into his chest before the chair fell to where she had been standing.

The destruction had not been done by a person. There was too much force, too much power behind the ransacking. It wouldn't have been possible for someone to have thrown the monitors clear across the room, or the chair into the rafters.

"Oh, Deittman isn't going to like this…" Markus muttered as he carefully stepped around Lin and Naru, looking carefully to make sure there was nothing else set to fall on them. There were a few cords, but nothing of immediate danger. Isabella soon followed after him, looking around to see what was salvageable—which was very little.

"Noll, I need to set her down," Lin said, shifting Ash's weight in his arms.

Naru nodded and started across the room. Carefully setting over the destroyed equipment. Mai was nervous to see their own base. She figured there would be no reason for their own equipment to be spared.

And Mai was right. The SPR equipment was all over the place, though perhaps the same amount of force hadn't been used. Some of the monitors were in one piece, though they would need new stands, and some had just small cracks in their screens. Unlike the other team's equipment, theirs could ultimately be fixed…just not on the island.

Some things were beyond repaid. All of their drives were destroyed. Anything that had been recorded was now lost to them. Unless they managed to fix some of the pieces by hand, it was unlikely they would be able to record anything from this point forward. Mai didn't need to see Naru's face to understand how extremely upset he was.

His fists were clenched and his shoulders were tight. The air around them had gone cold.

"Naru, please calm down," Mai whispered to him, "you don't have the energy for this. If something happens to you…"

It took a moment for him to accept her words, but when he did, she saw his entire body go slack. In an instant, Mai grabbed one of the fallen chairs and slid it over as Naru started to stagger backwards. He fell as the back of his legs touched the seat of the chair, but at least he was able to collapse into the chair and not onto the floor.

Monk and Ayako helped turn the cot upright in the back of the room so that Lin could set Ash down on the thin mattress rather than the cold floor. As soon as he did, Ayako moved him away so that she could kneel over and take a quick diagnostic of the unconscious woman.

"She's not good," Ayako said, though mostly to herself than to the others. "Weak pulse, low body temperature… looks like she may have the chills—"

"Half of her clothes are burned to bits, Ayako, of course she's freezing," Monk replied dryly. Mai looked over at Monk in surprise but saw that he was eyeing Lin's back. She figured Monk was trying to play the damage down to keep Lin from feeling worse than he already did.

Mai looked around for the blanket and pillow that went with the cot. It took her a few moments before she found the blanket under some of the equipment bags and the pillow cushioning one of the unused hand held cameras (which actually looked to be fully intact, thankfully.) "Here. I will look for the medical supply bag. Maybe Deittman has a more fully stocked one too."

Now that Mai thought about it… where was Deittman? Or Desdemona? Or… _Masako and Yasuhara and John_?

She stopped and turned around. "Guys… where's the rest of the team?"

Ayako and Monk jerked up right, finally realizing that they were missing a few of their companions. "Masako woke up when I did. We heard Markus and Monk pounding on the door. She didn't jump up as fast as I did though. Isabella got up at the same time. We immediately followed after the guys."

"So you left Miss Hara alone with Desdemona?" Naru asked, raising a brow at Ayako.

"Well no—Des wasn't there. Masako was alone… but the room was warded, it should have been completely safe for her!" Ayako snapped at Naru, standing up and putting her hands on her hips.

"Besides, John and Yasu were both waking up as well. We told them to look after Masako until we got back. They're probably all together in one of the room—but we should probably hurry and double check since we don't have any visual on that wing now." Monk immediately turned and headed for the door. "Am I going alone or is someone coming with me?"

"I'll go," Mai volunteered before Naru could open his mouth. "Naru and Lin, you two should really stay here with Ayako and have her look at you. You know, just in case." She added with a smile as Naru frowned at her. She didn't want him gallivanting around the building while he was so weak, and Lin was also in pretty poor shape.

"You've barely had minutes to recover from your astral projecting and you're saying _I_ need to be looked at?" Naru said flatly.

Mai shrugged. "I'm feeling fine. Really. Wide awake and ready to go. We'll go check on the others and bring them here. We should be back shortly, don't worry. Do the walkies still work?"

Naru turned and picked one up from the ground, giving it a click. The other two in the room responded, and Mai was able to dig one out from the rubble.

"See? We'll be fine." Before she could give him any more room to suggest a reason she shouldn't go, Mai followed after Monk. She could feel Naru's eyes on her back even as they disappeared through the dark doorway.

The two of them had just turned a corner, putting them out of earshot from the bases, when Monk spoke. "So you gonna tell me what happened?"

Mai gave a laugh and shook her head. "I'm not even entirely sure myself. It's best to explain when we're all together anyhow, so we don't have to keep repeating the story."

"You're sure you're really okay?" Monk asked, lifting his light to shine it into one of the rooms they passed by. There was nothing there but a rusted out bed.

"Yeah. I'm fine. Confused maybe, but fine. Definitely one of my scarier experiences when Astral Projecting… I don't know what would have happened if Ash hadn't seen my body walking on the cameras. I couldn't get through to any of our team because of the wards. I was really afraid no one would be able to get me. Who knows what would have happened once I reached the bell tower alone…" She sighed and shook her head, trying to erase any of the terrifying thoughts from her head. It wasn't what she needed right now. She was fine. They were all fine. Well, besides Ash who was lying freezing and unconscious.

As the pair neared the wing containing the bedrooms, they could hear muffled shouting. They picked up the pace until they reached the end of the hallway and listened for the shouting. It was coming from the women's bedroom.

The wards were still up on and around the bedroom door, protecting it from any spirits. However, it was shut tightly with the door handle dented.

"Masako?" Mai shouted, her voice betraying the fear she was feeling as Monk tried to force the door open. "John? Yasu? Are you all right?"

 _"We're fine,"_ Yasuhara replied from behind the door. _"But we've been stuck in here since the others left. Door shut behind John and I as we came in to get Masako—we can't get out!"_

 _"The spirits—though not here, I can feel them all around the area. Something happened, didn't it? Something big?"_ Masako asked. Her own voice was shaking and unsteady. It was very un-Masako like, in Mai's opinion.

"Yeah, something definitely happened—but everyone's okay. Mostly. We'll talk after we get you out. You should probably get away from the door," Mai said as Monk started to put his weight into pushing.

Monk slammed into it again and again, but to no avail. Mai couldn't exactly say she was surprised. Poveglia had been a hospital at one point, after all. The doors were probably very sturdy and made to keep people inside. "Monk, stop, you're just going to hurt yourself," Mai eventually said, pulling on her friend's arm to keep him from seriously injuring himself.

"Well what do you want me to do, Mai?" Monk asked, his tone a bit more angry than she would have liked. He was most definitely frustrated. "Naru and Lin are basically out of commission. For all we know, one of Deittman's people locked them in there, and I can't even do something as simple as getting the door open!"

Mai nodded and looked around, though she kept her arm around Monk's just for safety. "Okay, well, these doors are old. The locks are in the handle instead of being a two part lock. What if we just… break the handle off? Maybe it will loosen up whatever has it jammed enough for us to get the door open. I highly doubt that whoever did this had a _key_."

Monk looked down at the lock and nodded. "Yeah… yeah, okay. It's worth a shot." He looked around until he found a large piece of rock that had crumbled from one of the walls. He picked it up and tested its weight before nearing the door once more. Mai grabbed the flashlight from the ground where Monk had left it and backed up, holding it over the door handle so he had enough light to aim. He hoisted it up and slammed it down, scraping his knuckles against the door frame as he did so.

As he hissed in pain, the handle fell to the ground. Mai peered through and saw that the inside handle had also fallen, and Yasu was looking back at her. Seeing his eyes made her jump back and laugh. "Well, that's one step. Are you okay, Monk?"

"I'll be fine. Just a few scrapes. Step away from the door again, guys, I'm going to give it a shove." Monk put a bit of space between himself and the door and then burst forward, throwing his weight at the wood. This time, it actually splintered a bit and then popped oven, sending Monk tumbling into the room .

"Oww…." He muttered as he sprawled to the ground at Masako's feet. She knelt down and placed a hand on his back.

"Are you okay? Thank you for getting the door opened… I admit, I was getting a little panicky."

"Just… give me a minute. I'll be fine," he groaned and pulled up his uninjured arm to rest his head on it.

"Whew," Yasu said, stepping out of the room and taking a deep breath. "It was getting a bit claustrophobic in there. We didn't know what happened, where you guys were, or what was going on. Freaked us out."

"Yeah, you can say that again," John said with a nod. "What _did_ happen? Why aren't the others with you?"

"They're back at base… or what's left of it anyhow. We said we would bring you guys back. We'll explain everything there. Are you guys ready to move? Monk?"

Monk groaned and forced himself to stand, wincing as he rubbed his shoulder and arm. It would probably be sore for a few days after his numerous, _selfless_ attempts to get the door opened. "Yeah, we can go. I don't want Naru losing his mind because we took too long. Is there another flashlight in here, or should we just take the lantern?"

Masako turned and shuffled over to her bed. She knelt over and pulled out her own flashlight. "This is the only one I have. Mai?"

Mai shook her head. "No sorry. We should be fine with two. Come on."

The group turned and started backwards the main base. There was still no sign of Des, Deittman, Ian, or the two others of the American team. Though it worried Mai, she was honestly more concerned about her own team right now, rather than a group of people she _knew_ she couldn't trust.

000

 _Author's Notes: Wooh, first chapter written since my return from my trip. So glad too. I was worried I would lose interest and not write any further. I do have a general idea of my progression here and a few more major events that take place before the end. They only actually have about… 56 more hours left on the island… but that is A LOT of time in a fearful situation!_

 _Thank you to **MistressSleepwell666** , **MissKiku** , **Vella** , **SterlingClear** , **Oxybry** , **crazyanimefreak15** , g **uest- just good ol me** for your great reviews! I really appreciate it! **II Cherokee II** \- thank you for your review as well, and I will try to check out your fic whenever I have time!_

 _ **DragonSlayer2187** \- if you want to, you can send me a picture of your necklace and I can post it to the tu mblr page! I would love to be able to share something sent in from a reader! I'm glad you're liking the story (and Markus!) _

_Thanks for sticking with me all this time guys!_

 _Ever Your Servant,_

 _A.F_


	20. Chapter 20

Ciao Poveglia

Rated: T

Shibuya Psychic Research receives a special invitation to a 'psychic summit' being hosted at the infamously haunted Poveglia island. Though crossing half the globe with his team is not ideal, Naru simply cannot pass up the chance to get into the normally locked down location. [Rated T, possibly M for gore later.]

000

 **Day 55, Hour: 07:15**

When Yasuhara saw the state of their base, he crouched down and seemed like he was going to cry. Mai couldn't blame him. He was the one who set up the majority of the base and usually inventoried the equipment. Seeing it in such a state of disarray and damage seemed to physically hurt him. When he recorvered enough to sit still and not constantly pout as he looked about the room, the group turned over enough chairs to sit around and start explaining the situation.

First, Monk retold how he had to break the three other SPR team members out of the women's bedroom (and how they had destroyed the door so it was unlikely anyone would want to sleep there now.) Then, John recounted how they had been locked in the room in the first place. After their story time, Mai stepped in and started from the beginning of her Astral Projection and as much as she remembered. She very particularly left Gene out of the story, and she took note that Naru didn't bother to correct her.

Naru and Lin jumped in from time to time, adding a few words based on their point of view, and once they had finished, Monk and Ayako added theirs. They had a full picture of the events that led up to their rejoining as a team—or at least as full of a picture as they could without having any audio or visual evidence to back the matter up. Additionally, when asked how she was launched into her state of Astral Projection in the first place, Mai could do nothing more than shrug. She had no idea how it had happened, and couldn't offer any more than that.

Monk was still grumbling about his arm by the time daylight started to stream through the windows two hours later, though Mai felt it was rather warranted. His efforts to get their teammates from the closed room were valiant and he deserved some time to complain about his injuries. Naru didn't even bother chastising Monk for attempting it all on his own, probably since he knew neither Lin nor himself had been in any condition to help. So, Ayako sighed and gave Monk some painkillers then blocked him out entirely. She had her own patient to worry about.

The adrenaline rush that Mai had felt earlier had worn off, leaving her feeling particularly exhausted. Despite that, she wasn't keen on leaving the rest of the group to sleep—and the others seemed to feel the same way. She and Masako sat huddled together against one of the cool walls, watching as Yasu and John sorted through the equipment for usable pieces.

Deittman was with Ian, Markus, and Isabella doing much of the same thing. It had taken a while for them to turn up, but it turned out that Deittman had been resting peacefully in his own (very comfortable) room while the group of Americans were off doing an EVP session on the other side of the island. They hadn't even known there was any chaos since they had turned their walkies off to get clearer readings. When they entered their main base, their shock seemed to be genuine as well. The two men both dropped their jaws and swore profusely as they looked around the chaotic room.

Desdemona, however, had not been with them. In fact, no one had seen her at all. Mai was a bit worried for the woman, but she wasn't ready to go and volunteer to leave her team. As Naru pointed out, it could have been a ploy to separate the group as Ash had suggested upon their arrival. Unfortunately, the rest of the SPR team seemed to agree with Naru on that matter as well. So, instead, the two other Americans, whom Mai had hardly said two words to, went off looking for the woman before the sun had even started to come up. Deittman had seemed concerned for Desdemona's well being at first and for at least a few moments—but as soon as he saw the damage to his base, his priorities seemed to lie elsewhere.

Mai couldn't imagine Naru ever doing something like that. She was sure that he would put any one of the SPR team members before his equipment any day. He may have been an arrogant, narcissistic jerk at times (all of the time), but Mai had never, _ever_ got the feeling that he cared more about his research than the people who helped him.

Deittman had a few choice words for SPR in his sudden fury—not over the equipment of course, but Ash's condition. He wasn't so much worried about her condition but furious that she was no laying useless on a cot being looked over by a foreign doctor. He tried to assure Ayako that Ash would be fine and that she should be moved into his private room for proper resting, but Ayako would not hear of it.

 _"This is not uncommon for her—she will be fine. I would prefer she rest in my quarters so that she is up and moving in a suitable time,"_ Deittman had said, though his tone was near demanding.

Ayako stood from her seat, where she had been sitting with as much medical supplies as they could gather, and crossed her arms. She tilted her head upwards, a brow raised and her lips pursed. _"Based on what I know of your team, not one of you is a trained medic. I have the most experience, by far, and in my_ _ **professional**_ _opinion, this woman needs a hospital. She could go into shock at any moment, and we are not at all equipped for that on this island. You need to call for a boat."_

 _"No,"_ Deittman replied, his eyes narrowing as he stepped closer to Ayako. Just the cot with Ash on it separated the two of them. _"Everyone had signed a waiver—even yourself. There are risks of injury, Ash knew that. She should not have exhausted herself over such a trivial incident. I will not put my experiment on hold for her. I've invested far too much money in the matter."_

 _"Trivial-?"_ Ayako snapped, her face contorting in disgust. _"The safety of my team—_ _ **anyone's**_ _team is_ _ **not**_ _a trivial matter! And are you saying that any amount of money is worth more than someone's life?"_

Deittman sneered. _"More than hers, certainly. If you want to waste your time and energy staring at her, have at it then. But there are no boats coming to this island before Sunday. I made sure of_ _ **that**_ _."_

Naru had turned around in his seat at the newly reset table and stared hard at Deittman. Mai thought for a moment that he was contemplating using the last of his PK to sending the man flying out of the room and down the stairs into his own base, but he did nothing. Ayako was not intimidated by the older man, and in the end, Deittman was the first to break eye contact and walk away. That didn't stop Ayako from grabbing a half empty soda bottle and hurling it at a nearby wall in anger, however.

The SPR team sat in silence, all with too many words on their tongue and not enough thought behind them to confidently speak. They sat for a good hour until Markus and Isabella were knocking at the door. They were carrying a few large plates as well as a portable coffee pot and cups. The smell of cooked food wafted through the room and Mai felt her mouth start to salivate. She hadn't realized how hungry she had been until that moment. She shouldn't have been surprised. She always seemed to be starving after a bout of Astral Projection. Perhaps it had been her continued nerves that had kept her from realizing how hungry she was.

"Excuse the interruption," Markus said and walked in towards Naru's table. It was the only table set up at the moment and the only place for them to set their things down. Naru immediately turned his gaze towards the man and narrowed his eyes. "The mini-refrigerator is out of commission, I am afraid. We must cook the perishables to try to make them last as long as possible. We've made a bit of eggs, but we will probably save the rest for tomorrow. We don't refrigerate those here, so we do not need to worry about them going bad. The sausage and yogurt, however, must be eaten right away. We've made some coffee as well, if you would care for it."

The SPR team stared at the Valentinians with wide eyes and said nothing. After a moment of no one moving, Markus looked around at the group in confusion.

"It's… not poisoned, I assure you," he said with a small smile, though it hardly helped the matter. He shook his head and sighed, stepping forward. "I understand your wariness especially after… Well, Deittman can be a hard man to work with, there is no doubt. I will not make excuses for him. However, we are certainly not all in agreement with his methods and are just as concerned as you are. Perhaps even more so, since we know what he is capable of. Please, my sister and I do not wish you any harm. If anything, we would like to be allies. Safety in numbers, yes?"

Still, no one said anything, though Mai could see the troubled look in John's eyes right away. So she walked forward and uncovered the plates that the siblings had brought up for them. There were _so_ many sausage links that she doubted ever their whole team could finish them. "Thank you, really. We're all just… a bit on edge. It was quite a scare, all at one time," she said and smiled.

Markus's lips twitched upwards and he gave her just a quick, small smile. "You're very welcome. I understand your nerves. Though we did not see the situation, it was quite a sight to walk into. If Ash lost control of herself, then it was surely quite dire. She's only become so bad on a few occasions. You're very lucky you could subdue her. She's at the edge of her life, and the Fire Spirit has only grown more aggressive. Perhaps it would be a good thing if she could sleep for the rest of the weekend."

"Do you think she will wake up on her own? Ayako thinks she should go to a hospital," Mai said and started fixing herself a plate. She took one of the yogurts, two sausages, and a small bite of eggs. She wasn't a big coffee drinker, but she poured herself a cup anyhow. John was right behind her, and Yasuhara behind him. Slowly, the group started to form a line.

Markus stepped away to make room, nudging Isabella to get her to move as well. "I… cannot say for certain. I do not think a doctor could help her at this point. She has woken on her own before… I hope it will be the case now. I will leave you to your breakfast. Please, let me know if I can help you with anything else."

He turned towards the door with Isabella following just behind him. He just reached the doorway when Mai called out to him.

"Oh, Markus, has Desdemona been found?"

Markus turned but didn't look over his shoulder fully. His eyes were downcast and his mouth was tight lipped. He shook his head. "No… not yet."

An icy chill went down Mai's back, and suddenly, she felt like her appetite had been lost. She wasn't sure why and if anyone were to ask her, she wouldn't have an answer—but she felt that if they found Desdemona at all, it might be too late. Something bad had already happened to her.

000

 _Author's Notes: yes… it was a rather short chapter… but I figured that was a good place to leave off before getting into the next… ahem… section. On a side note… I am rather overwhelmed by the amount of people saying that they actually really like Ash. I usually plan for people to not like OC's and to keep their involvement as limited as possible. At this point, she will be out of commission for a while. I'm not sure how much more I will add in with her before the end. I could add a bit of fluff, or, I could not. Who knows._

 _Thanks for reading!_

 _Ever Your Servant,_

 _A.F_


	21. Chapter 21

Ciao Poveglia

Rated: T

Shibuya Psychic Research receives a special invitation to a 'psychic summit' being hosted at the infamously haunted Poveglia island. Though crossing half the globe with his team is not ideal, Naru simply cannot pass up the chance to get into the normally locked down location. [Rated T, possibly M for gore later.]

000

 **Day 55, Hour: 10:21**

Most of Mai's team had calmed down after eating and having a chance to snooze on an off in their base. Yasu and John moved a few of the cots from the bedrooms into their group area since no one really intended to split up again. Considering everything Mai had been through on previous cases, she didn't have too much of a problem calming down and collecting her thoughts. In fact, she felt she would have been back to normal with no sense of dread at all—if it weren't for Ash laying unconscious a few feet from her.

It was after ten in the morning when Markus returned to the SPR base with a rather troubled look on his face. Naru turned and gave the blonde man a passive look, but he did not seem as aggressive as he had before. Perhaps it was the food—and the fact that it was, indeed, not poisoned. Perhaps it was the fact that Naru had finally realized that when one of his teammates had been in trouble, it had been the Valentinian twins that had rushed to help him.

"We still have not located Desdemona. We are planning to break out team into groups to canvas the grounds…. If anyone is willing to join us, it would be—much appreciated," Markus said and put his hands into his pockets. He was dressed now in a pair of grey dress slacks and a black button down shirt, rolled up at the elbows. Mai had to wonder if the man ever dressed casually if he weren't sleeping.

"No, I'm sorry but—" Naru started to say, but Mai jumped up from her spot on her cot.

"I'll help."

" _Mai_!" Naru snapped at her, twisting in his chair and letting the blanket that had been draped over his shoulders fall to the ground.

Mai looked at him with a frown firmly in place. "This isn't some sort of trick, Naru, I think she's really in trouble. I can _feel_ it. I can't sit here and wait as the others try to find her. It's a lot of ground to cover, and it may be too late. You know I can't have something like that on my conscious. I have to at least _try._ "

As she turned back to Markus, she could see that he had a brow raised in curiosity. "Can you elaborate? What do you mean by _feeling_ she is in some sort of trouble?"

Mai blushed. _Oh damn. I shouldn't have said that._ "I… just mean…. Well, she's been gone for a while, hasn't she? No one's seen her for over six hours. That's just too long in a dangerous place like this. What if she's hurt herself and she can't get to us? She could really need our help." Her eyes flickered over to Naru, whose jaw was clenched tightly.

Markus nodded slowly. "Yes, I do agree with you. Those were my thoughts exactly. I appreciate your offer, Miss Taniyama. If you want to join my sister and I—"

"No," both Naru and Lin replied quickly.

"I will go with Mai. Yasuhara, you stay with the base. Continue trying to fix as much as possible. Monk, you stay as well in case Yasuhara needs to leave to check a connection—go together so that you aren't separated. Miss Hara, you should stay as well to make sure Ayako is never left here alone. Keep Deittman from taking Ash elsewhere. I'm counting her as part of _our_ team now, since her well being is hardly considered by others, it seems, and she did end up in this state aiding us in Mai's recovery." Naru stood and adjusted his clothing. He too had changed since breakfast—not that anyone would know, since he only wore black.

Mai was actually surprised about his insistence that Ayako continue looking after Ash. Naru was not one to trust easily, that was for certain, and it was unlike him to suddenly take interest in another person. It… relieved her to know that he was as grateful to the other woman as Mai was herself.

"Lin, you and John should group together. Don't try to strain yourself, should you come up against anything—"

"The same goes for you," Lin snorted and crossed his arms. "I think it would be best if we were to stay as one group."

John nodded. "I agree with Lin. This place is clearly too dangerous to drop into groups of two."

Naru's lips twitched but he did not argue. "That's fine. We will start out together. We will split up later, only if need be. We should be fine in the daylight, but for your peace of mind, we will remain together."

 _For your peace of mind…_ Mai snorted, and then shook her head when eyes turned towards her. That was Naru's way of avoiding telling John and Lin that they were right. Although, she had to admit, she was surprised that he suggested splitting into groups of two in the first place—and even more so that he suggested that he be her partner. Usually, she was paired up with Monk or John.

"I appreciate it, really," Markus said and took a step back towards the stairs. "Our teams will be taking the buildings. If you do not have a preference, would you be opposed to taking a walk through the woods? I know it is a lot of area to cover, but a group of four would be better than our groups of two or three."

Naru nodded. "That's fine. However, we do reserve the right to return at anytime. We will detail whichever areas we search so that if another group wishes to explore elsewhere, they can."

"Very thorough. Thank you. I will bring up one of our radios so that you can communicate with us if you find anything." Markus turned away and exited the room. Mai could hear his footsteps as he went down the stone stairs.

Once the other man was out of hearing range, Naru turned to the rest of the SPR team. He had a sort of… glint in his eyes. Mai couldn't place it in its entirety, but she felt like he was certainly onto something. She could practically see the gears turning in his mind.

"When we're gone, check the wards. _Thoroughly._ "

 **Day 55, Hour: 11:38**

"Mai, you're falling behind," Naru called to her for the fourth time. She groaned and muttered a few insults under her breath before once again picking up her pace.

Their exploration of the woods on Poveglia had been…. Almost peaceful. The sun was out, shining beautifully through the mostly green leaves. It seemed that it took a while for the leaves to start changing, but Mai enjoyed it anyhow. It was a bit chilly, with a cool breeze occasionally blowing in from the water, and it caused Mai to pull her sweater a bit tighter around herself. Despite that, it was still nice to be out of the almost suffocating buildings.

If it hadn't been for the feeling of being watched, Mai would have been content to stay outside for the rest of the day. However she couldn't shake the feeling that someone was just behind her, ghosting their fingertips across her back and shoulders. She shivered as she felt the sensation once more. This time she stopped and turned around.

"Naru, I think that there's…." She trailed off, something catching her gaze from the corner of her eye.

It was a little girl, holding a doll, with burns on her skin and dress. It was the same one from before—the ones she saw just outside of the bell tower. The one that tried to warn her of the spirits gathering to attack. Mai was running after her before she even had time to process the information. "Wait! Stop! I want to talk to you!"

She was off the path they had been walking in an instant. Mai was weaving in and out of trees, getting herself more and more lost—not that she had a moment to realize it. It wasn't until she lost sight of the girl that she started to realize what a mistake she had made. By that point, it was too late. She ran to the top of a hill and—

 _"_ _ **Mai**_ _!_ "

Naru's voice behind her caused her to screech to a halt, and not a moment too soon. If she had continued running, she would have found herself tumbling down a steep hillside. Though it wasn't a complete drop off or anything like that, it still would have hurt. Mai huffed and turned around to look at Naru in confusion.

"I saw her! A little girl! I saw her last night and—" Mai felt something at her ankle. At first, she thought it was some underbrush. She had run through a great deal to end up where she was, and the island was hardly kept. Once she felt the tugging, however, she looked down. There was a hand, grey and scabby, wrapped around her ankle. The longer she looked at it, the less translucent it appeared. When she tried to pull away from it, it jerked downwards. Naru had barely managed to reach her before they both went rolling down the hillside.

Naru held Mai against him tightly with one arm around her waist and another around her head, pushing it into his chest. It only took a few seconds before they had reached the bottom of the hill. Had Naru not been able to direct them into a large rock _, ouch!_ , they would have kept going. Straight into a large hole.

When they had stopped rolling, Naru released Mai and she groaned. She pushed herself away from him and sat up, holding her head. A few cuts and bruises, but nothing substantial. Naru had seen to that. Mai groaned and blinked a few times, trying shake the dizziness she was feeling. Once she could see straight, she looked down at Naru next to her.

"Oh _god_ , Naru, speak to me! Are you alright?"

He was on his back, his eyes squeezed shut, and a bit of blood at his temple. Mai grabbed him by his black jacket and shook, trying to get him to open his eyes.

"Shaking an injured person _doesn't help_ , Mai," he said dryly, opening one eye to glare at her. She sighed a breath of relief.

"Oh good, you're okay. I thought for a second that the tumble may have knocked some sense into you or something," she replied, equally as dryly. On closer look, she could see that the blood was from a small cut. It was likely only a superficial wound.

"I suppose it would be too much to ask for some sense to be knocked into _you_ ," he said and awkwardly reached an arm beneath himself. Mai watched in confusion as he shifted about, lifting his hips to get at something under his lower back. He pulled out his phone. His now _broken_ phone. "Every time, Mai, every time. When will you learn that running off after a spirit is _never_ a good idea?"

As he spoke, his words seemed to get colder. He sat up, using the large rock next to him as leverage, and inspected the device. It was destroyed. Completely beyond repair.

"I'm sorry, Naru, but you know me. I can't always help myself," she said and winced, looking a pieces in his hand. "I didn't mean for that to happen. I'll—"

"You'll what? Pay for it? I don't care about the bloody cost," he said. His voice was even, but she knew how angry he was. She could see it in his eyes. He clenched the pieces in his hand. For a moment, it looked like he might just toss them away in anger. Instead, he squeezed his eyes shut and took a deep breath before pocketing the pieces. "Mai, I was the only one who had a satellite mobile. Lin's doesn't work on the island."

She had to think about what he was saying a few times before she finally realized the implication. Even if Deittman had supposedly paid off the taxi companies to keep boats from coming to Poveglia, surely they could have called the police for help. Now, however, they had no means to call out for help. Unless they could get a hold of someone else's cell phone from the other team, they were completely on their own, whatever may come.

000

 _Author's Notes: okay, I've been thinking about it for a while and I figured I needed to make sure there was no logical way for them to easily get off the island. And you'll see why with the next chapter! If you think things were bad before…. Bwahahaha…_

 ** _Just good ol Me:_** _I know how it is, no worries. I also do not often review every chapter, so I do not take it personally! I do apologize for the short chapters... but it lets me post faster and keeps me from half writing a chapter and never finishing it! As for Desdemona and Deittman... don't worry, you aren't supposed to like them! Thank you sooo much for you're review!_

 _Thanks for reading!_

 _A.F_


	22. Chapter 22

Ciao Poveglia

Rated: T

Shibuya Psychic Research receives a special invitation to a 'psychic summit' being hosted at the infamously haunted Poveglia island. Though crossing half the globe with his team is not ideal, Naru simply cannot pass up the chance to get into the normally locked down location. [Rated T, possibly M for gore later.]

000

 **Day 55, Hour: 11:57**

When Naru finally felt steady enough to stand, he stood and looked down into the hole just a few feet away from them. He explained that it was likely one of the plague pits on the island. Though some of the layers of bones had been cleared away over the years, it was likely that there were hundreds if not _thousands_ of corpses still laying at the bottom. Perhaps some of the spirits of those unfortunate souls were still hanging around the pit, waiting for someone to put them to rest. Perhaps that was why the little girl had lured Mai over to it.

"We need to try to find the main path," Naru said and took Mai's arm. He started walking, pulling her along awkwardly.

"Naru, what are you doing? Stop that!" Mai frowned and tried to tug her arm from his grasp. It was unlike him to touch people, and she was sure he had found reasons to do so at least three times in just as many days.

Naru returned her frown. "We can't get separated. I don't trust you to go running off again before I can stop you." Mai struggled against his grip until she managed to pull her arm away from him. She rubbed her arm and furrowed her brows.

"I don't like it when people just… drag me along," she replied, taking a step forward. She caught Naru's hand in hers. A look of confusion passed over his face as he immediately tried to jerk it back. She held tight, however, and pulled it back between them. "I'll walk _with_ you."

Naru's look of confusion lasted for a moment more while his body tensed. It looked like he was still ready to pull his hand away, but Mai narrowed her eyes as if to say, _don't even think about it._

"We have to stick together, right?" She reminded him and started to step in the direction he had wanted to head in. All expression wiped from his face and he seemed to concede, though his body was still rigid. He let Mai lead them until they were up the hill, then Naru stepped forward to take over. Mai let him.

 **Day 55, Hour 12:11**

Walking with Naru (Mai refused to think of it as 'holding hands' because there was hardly anything romantic about the way he stiffly moved his arm or tightly gripped her hand,) had certainly been necessary. There were two separate moments where Mai felt a tingling sensation, and her body had almost taken off running again. Her hand would go slack and she'd jerk to the side, only to have Naru roughly pull her back. Mai would mumble an apology and Naru would merely raise a brow at her.

After the second instance, Naru chose to change their course to walk in the direction Mai had gravitated towards. Mai thought about questioning in, but chose to let it go. Besides, she had more pressing questions to ask.

"Naru," she said carefully. She gave him a moment to respond, but he didn't. She continued anyhow. "How did you know that Gene was possessing me in the bell tower?"

Naru's fingers twitched in response so Mai squeezed to keep him from pulling away from her. They continued on in silence, and it seemed he had no intention of answering. After about a minute, he finally said, "why didn't you tell me about your black outs?"

 _Answering a question with a question_ , Mai thought bitterly, _so typical…_

"I was afraid," she answered honestly with a sigh. "I thought if I told you, you would take me off the case. I thought you might think I was too unstable to come."

"You are too unstable. Look what happened last night."

This time Mai tried to pull her hand away. This time Naru wouldn't let her.

"I know. It was just… it was a once in a lifetime chance. I couldn't pass it up. I may never have a chance to travel again, especially all the way to Europe. I had hoped the first black out was a one-time thing. It happened when I first walked by Ash. I thought that maybe it was just an adverse response to her spiritual energy," she said and shrugged.

"I don't think you're wrong," Naru replied, much to Mai's surprise. "I think the increase in spiritual energy is what caused it to happen. You seem to remember everything from last night. Perhaps the only reason you can remember this time is because the veil between worlds is so thin here that your spirit wasn't forced from this plane."

"Oh, you're right, that probably…"

 _He's changing the subject. He's making this clinical to avoid talking about Gene. No. I refuse to let him manipulate me like that._

"But is it Gene that's forcing me from my body? Or is it something else, and he's jumping in to keep another spirit from taking control?"

 _There. Back to the important questions._ Mai didn't look at Naru. She stared straight ahead and kept her voice conversational. She didn't want Naru to feel like she was cornering him, though that was what she was really doing. Of course, he saw right through the attempt.

"I'm not going to talk about Gene, so drop it," he replied coolly.

"We can't just drop it, Naru, he's hopping in and out of my body. It worries me," she said, adding the last phrase in barely a whisper. Naru pulled his hand away and put a few steps between them.

"I'm handling the matter, so just let it go, Mai."

Mai turned to face Naru. They were in a small clearing surrounded by trees. The noontime sun was above, streaming in so that they were standing in the light rather than in the shade of the trees. "Don't you get it? I _can't_ just let it go! It's my body! And I can't even talk to him! It isn't like he's my spirit guide anymore—if I hadn't heard him speaking to you, I wouldn't have even known!"

"I know you miss him and want to speak with him but—"

Mai threw her hands in the air. "You don't _know_ anything, Naru! You _assume_ to know _everything_!" She paced around, putting her hands into her hair in frustration. "I'm worried about him not crossing over! I'm worried that he's going to get himself stuck here because he misses his chance! I'm worried about what his presence will do to _you_!"

Naru raised a brow. "To _me?_ "

"Yes, you, you stupid jerk! I'm afraid that speaking with him, even in my body, will make the whole _moving on_ process harder!" She said, her voice seeping in frustration, and faced him. She willed him to understand, but she could tell by the look on his face that he didn't.

"I'll be fine. I _am_ fine."

"Ugh, no you're _not_ , Naru! You are so not fine, you don't even know it—"

"Do _not_ presume to know me—"

Mai stepped forward and jabbed her index finger into Naru's chest, earning her a heated glare from the young genius. "It isn't that I _know_ you, Naru, it's that you're _human._ No matter how hard you might try to deny it, you are a _human being_. You have emotions. You can feel joy, amusement, or pain. But you choose to suppress it all, and for what? To make yourself feel superior to the rest of us? I can't imagine living like you. And don't go saying it's because I'm stupid or _unevolved._ It's because I'm perfectly okay with my humanity."

Before he had a chance to retort, Mai spun on her heel and stomped off. She left their little clearing and went in the same general direction they had been going. She didn't bother listening for footsteps to see if he would follow. She was too angry to care about what Naru chose to do—even if it meant she was on her own.

Maybe she shouldn't have said anything. Maybe he was right, and she didn't know how he was feeling. Maybe he really didn't care as much as she thought he would. But Mai refused to believe it. Mai felt like it was her job to keep Naru grounded in reality, because without Gene, who else would do it?

Mai sighed and stopped. She really shouldn't have just walked off. Now she was alone. She had allowed her own emotions to get the better of her. Mai knelt down and put her head in her hands, groaning. Naru would probably _really_ hate her now.

There was movement off to her left.

She stood up quickly and looked around, hoping that it was Naru catching up to her. She didn't see him though. Instead, she saw the little girl she had been chasing after earlier. They stared at one another for what seemed like ages before someone grabbed Mai's shoulder, causing her to jump. She whipped around and found Naru standing behind her.

"Did you see her..?"

Naru nodded.

"Oh thank god," Mai sighed in relief and looked back, only to find the girl gone. "I saw her last night. I think she was trying to warn me before the spirits attacked in the bell tower. She was the one I was chasing after earlier. I think…. I think she might be leading us somewhere. Maybe back to the trail?"

"We'll go that way then." Naru started walking in the direction the little girl had been seen in, leaving Mai to follow after him on her own. She could tell that he had closed up entirely, and any chance for personal conversations, or conversations at all, was lost. Mai sighed and followed after him.

They walked on for a few minutes before Naru stopped at the top of a little hill. Mai was just about to step up and reach the top as well when he thrust it arm out, blocking her way. "Stay back. Don't come up here."

He seemed to be looking at something in particular. Mai stared at Naru in confusion, though he couldn't see it since his back was to her. "What? Why not?" Mai tried to step closer, but he turned and pushed her back. She stumbled a few steps but then caught herself.

"Mai, promise me you won't go up there. Stay here. Right here, in this exact spot. Do _not_ move. I'm serious," Naru said, his eyes staring holes into her own. Mai shivered under the intensity of the gaze.

She nodded. "Yeah. Okay, fine. I'll stay right here. I promise."

Naru slowly stepped backwards, his hand outstretched as if she were an animal he were trying to make obey. She frowned at him and crossed her arms across her chest. Finally, he turned and walked to the top and then disappeared down the other side. Mai listened for his footsteps as he walked away to see how far he went. He didn't go very far before he stopped.

"Mai?"

She whirled around when she heard her name called. Lin and John were some distance away, but they were waving at her as they picked up their pace to come closer. She waved back with a smile and started to walk towards them. She stopped and looked back at the hill. What if Naru walked too far off and they couldn't find him again? She shouldn't have promised to stay, though she supposed if she hadn't, Lin and John wouldn't have seen her.

Once they were closer, she turned and walked up the hill. "Naru! John and Lin are here! They found us—"

She should never have walked up that hill.

Naru turned around to face her from here he stood at the bottom of the hill. His eyes weren't filled with anger, but alarm. He was worried for her, though she didn't see it. She didn't see him. Instead, all she saw was the mangled body of Desdemona, strung up by her own scarf, high in the tree in front of Naru. Mai barely managed to steady herself against a tree before she was leaning over and vomiting up all of the breakfast she had eaten that morning. The sight of the foul, half digested food was still more appealing that the sight of corpse only a few yards away from Mai.

000

 _Author's Notes: Man I liked this chapter. I just got on a roll with it and couldn't stop. It's still a bit shorter than I would have liked, but that was definitely the point that I wanted to cut it at. You know, for drama or whatnot. Hopefully no one feels like the Mai/Naru conversation was too far fetched. I imagine that as Mai has grown older, her desire to grab Naru by the collar and shake him, saying "what is wrong with you?!" has probably only grown._

 _I wasn't originally going to update today buttt I figured this may be a good spot to leave you guys for a bit..._

 _That you to my wonderful reviewers! **DragonSlayer2187-** I partially updated this just for you, so you wouldn't be left hanging as much! Did it help? **SterlingClear** and **Sesshy's Rose,** thank you for reviewing! Don't worry if you can't review every chapter... but your reviews certainly encouraged me to update so quickly!_

 _Thanks for reading!_

 _Ever Your Servant,_

 _A.F_


	23. Chapter 23

Ciao Poveglia

Rated: T

Shibuya Psychic Research receives a special invitation to a 'psychic summit' being hosted at the infamously haunted Poveglia island. Though crossing half the globe with his team is not ideal, Naru simply cannot pass up the chance to get into the normally locked down location. [Rated T, possibly M for gore later.]

000

 **Day 55, Hour 12:29**

Lin and John ran to Mai's aid as soon as they saw her stagger to the tree, but did nothing more than stand around her once their eyes laid sight on Desdemona's corpse. Naru turned and hurried up the hill. He grabbed Mai and forced her to step away, back down the other side so that she couldn't turn back and see the body.

John handed her the bottle of water he had brought with him from the main base. Mai rinsed out her mouth and then drank some of the liquid down, though thinking about what she saw made her want to be sick again. Naru looked at Mai like he might have wanted to say something—maybe ' _why didn't you listen to me?'_ However, he didn't have the chance.

"What happened?" Lin asked from his spot atop the hill. He was still looking at the scene. And a 'scene,' it really was. For all they knew it could have been the crime scene.

"We just got here," Naru replied. "Mai believed a spirit was leading us somewhere. We thought perhaps the main trail. Since we had no way of knowing our location, we followed."

"You aren't too far off from the path," John said. "Actually, we came off of it. We happened to see movement, which was why we walked over and saw Mai. It's possible that if there was a leading spirit, it was actually leading you in the right direction."

"Or it was leading us to its handiwork," Lin replied. He shook his head and turned away.

"Do you have a radio? Ours was broken in a fall. As was my mobile," Naru said. As he spoke, Mai sunk back, her cheeks reddening out of embarrassment.

Lin groaned. "We have no way of calling off the island for help. I have a feeling Deittman won't call the police."

"I know," Naru replied, "I also have the same feeling. Regardless, we will have to tell the others. We don't have to involve ourselves—in fact, we _shouldn't_ involve ourselves—but we need to call the Valentinians and have them come deal with this."

Naru was so… cold while speaking of the matter. Mai wanted to scold him, tell him to care more about the fact that someone they were working with was hanging from a tree not far from them. But she couldn't. Coldness was the best way to deal with the situation. If they had thought they needed a sense of caution and self preservation before…. Well, now it was clear that they might as well go back to base and hole up until Sunday morning when their rides were supposed to pick them up.

If there were boats actually coming at all, that is.

"How could this happen?" Mai whispered, staggering over to a fallen tree and sitting down on it. She put her elbows on her knees and rested her forehead on her palm.

"She was missing for hours," John replied, his voice also quite low. He didn't seem to actually be speaking to Mai, or Lin, or anyone for that matter. He was just speaking aloud. "Anyone could have done this. Well, anyone from the other team, that is."

"No," Mai replied, catching John's attention. "It couldn't have been _anyone_. I don't think many people could have done that."

"We don't know them. Who knows what motives—"

"I don't mean motives," Mai said. Her voice was a bit harsher than she had meant, but it was understandable, given the shock she was in.

Lin turned around from where he was standing. "She's right. Physically, no one should have been able to pull that off. The scarf it too short and the tree is too high. No one could have strung her up there without the aid of something else—like a Cherrypicker or something along those lines. And I highly doubt there are any of those hidden somewhere on the island."

"If Miss Hara were here to—" Naru started to say, causing Mai to sit upright, her eyes wide with alarm.

"You can't! You can't bring her here! She shouldn't have to see this!"

"No, of course not," Naru replied gently, though Mai felt it was rather forced. "I am merely stating that if Miss Hara were here, she may be able to reach Desdemona's spirit before it were to pass on. I suppose the chances would be rather slim, however."

Mai nodded, understanding what Naru meant. Of course the situation was awful, but they were a team that dealt with the dead often. If they could set the gruesomeness aside, they could possibly solve the murder and stop anything further from happening. Although trying to explain to the police how they caught a killer using a spirit would be difficult….

"Wait," Mai said suddenly, "Isabella. She's an automatic writer, isn't she? Sometimes they can reach spirits that have crossed over, if the intent is strong enough. She knew Desdemona. She may have a strong enough connection to actually reach her spirit."

 **Day 55, Hour 14:44**

Mai sat quietly sipping her tea in the SPR main base while chaos broke out around her. After they radioed the other search teams, everyone who had been out and about reported to the forest. It took a while before they were all able to meet up, but when they did, the reaction was instant. Emotions were running high. A few tears were shed, and accusations were thrown.

One thing that Mai had noticed was that no one seemed particularly sad that Desdemona was dead. Sure, there was an innate fear that spread amongst the group: people were afraid that they may be next. Some were disgusted by the sight that they saw and they were sad that someone was dead. However not one person said "poor Desdemona," or "why did this happen to her?"

No one seemed to care that she, as a person, was gone.

It disgusted Mai.

Mai looked down at the sleeping Ash and sighed. Ash was the only person to not know about the death now. Mai wondered how she would react when she awoke. If she awoke.

Ayako had been asked to go and evaluate the body. She had initially resisted, stating that she was hardly a forensics expert. However, after Deittman's entire team begged her to at least give an initial opinion, she reluctantly agreed. She, Monk, Yasuhara, and Masako all went to the crime scene, as they had been calling it. Mai had tried to convince Masako not to go, saying that it was far too gruesome and that no one should have to see it unless necessary. Masako thanked for her concern but said that she had to at least try to help, if she could.

She couldn't.

No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't find Desdemona's spirit to get in touch with her. When she returned with the group, she told Mai that Mai had been right. She shouldn't have gone. The image of Desdemona's corpse was likely to haunt her for the rest of her life.

"Warn us if you're going to have a break down."

Mai looked up in confusion, tilting her head at Naru as he stood over her. He had his own cup of tea in his hands. He must have poured it from the thermos she had prepared for everyone as they started to return from the forest. "What?"

He sat down in the chair opposite of her, glancing down at Ash before meeting Mai's eyes again. "Warn us if you're going to have a break down."

"I'm not going to have a break down," Mai replied flatly.

"This has been a very traumatic experience. It would be a normal reaction." Naru sipped his tea and watched her.

She stared at him for a bit before realizing that this was probably Naru's best attempt to honestly console her. Sure, he knew how to display fake empathy when paying customers were around, but he wasn't doing that now. In truth, Mai preferred it this way. She would have been able to see through his fakeness in an instant.

Mai shrugged and looked down. "I'm… fine. Well, no, I'm not. Inside I'm sick each time I think about her. But the thing is… I think I knew it before we even found her. I think I knew she was dead as soon as Markus said they hadn't been able to find her."

"You knew?" Naru asked sharply, his voice low. "As in a psychic—"

Mai shook her head quickly, cutting him off before he could say anything further. Isabella had just poked her head in the room. She seemed to count to see if everyone was in the SPR base who should be, and then ducked back out.

"No. Nothing like that. It was just a feeling. Do you really think spirits could have done this, Naru? Is it really possible that they're so angry with us being here, disturbing such an awful place, that they killed one of us whenever they had the chance? What if I had been next? What if a spirit had possessed my body and was taking me somewhere that they could—"

"Mai." Naru hissed, bringing her attention back to him. She hadn't even noticed but her voice had started to rise and her arms were shaking as she gripped her sytrofoam cup tightly. It had started to crack and a bit of hot liquid ran down the cup, between her fingers, and dripped onto the floor.

She took a deep breath and released it. "I—sorry. I guess I'm just starting to worry. For everyone."

"If it helps, I don't think it was a spirit that did this."

"Well, why not?" As they had already pointed out when they found Desdemona's body, hanging her couldn't have been done by a person.

"Whoever did it is likely the same culprit who ransacked out base," Naru replied and looked at her as if that should have been enough information. Mai just stared at him, trying to get him to continue. The base had also been torn apart in such a way that would have required an insane amount of strength and effort.

"And?"

Naru pressed his lips together in a thin line. If she were going to take a guess, he was probably trying to hold himself back from making a quip about her stupidity. She was tired and stressed and simply not capable of thinking clearly enough to put together his words, however. Mai sighed. "Yeah, yeah, I get it. I'm dumb. Are you going to tell me, or not?"

"The base is warded, Mai. You said yourself that your astral form could not cross through our threshold. The same goes for the door to the women's bedroom. A spirit could not have locked them in or damaged the door. A spirit could not have even _touched_ the door. And yet we are to believe that a powerful one managed to break through without destroying our wards? Monk and Ayako checked. There has been no damage. We would have known if a spirit had done this."

Mai let the words sink in and realized that Naru was right. She didn't know how someone could have managed to pull it off but it surely couldn't have been a spirit. It was likely someone who was trying to make it _look_ like a spirit had caused the damage. But who? No one had psychic powers that could pack such a punch.

Well. No one but Naru.

Could there be someone else on the island?

"No. Knowing this does not make me feel any better." Mai groaned and leaned forward, putting her head in her dry hand.

They had no boat, no phone, no radio, very little food, and only one working generator. And they were possibly stuck on an extremely haunted island with at least one fresh corpse and possibly a psychotic killer.

Once in a life time opportunity indeed.

000

 _Author's Notes: I know that the chapters are seeming a bit shorter lately. Once I hit a certain word minimum, I find a good place to wrap up before getting into the next chapter. It allows for faster updates, and honestly, that's what I need to do to keep motivated! I could wait until they were longer, but then there would be longer gaps between posting and the chance that I get bored becomes prevalent. I apologize!_

 _I do have the last major points plotted out. I'm thinking we will get to around thirty-some odd chapters. Once I wrap up about half of the remaining points, then I should have a better guess. On a side note, there's a location near me that I have gone ghost hunting in. It's an old hospital/retirement home, closed down for over a decade. Cool place. I'm seriously considering making a live action "fan episode" of Ghost Hunt if I can get the pieces all together. Thoughts?_

 **Sesshy'sRose:** _I'm glad you don't fine "Mai's moment" too ridiculous! Thank you for your review!_

 ** _Oxybry:_** _I really enjoyed writing Mai's conversation. I guess I like writing drama more than I'm willing to admit. You got it exactly though-even though the conversation wasn't very long and not a whole lot was 'said,' I wrote it in a way that I hoped would show the underlying emotions more than anything. Thank you so much for your review, as always!_

 ** _DragonSlayer2187:_** _I_ _can tell you that their relationship doesn't necessarily progress over the next few chapters... but I hope to show that maybe Naru does, as does Mai's understanding of him... We'll see if I did it well enough! Thank you for reviewing!_

 ** _Vella:_** _Your review made me chuckle. Because it's so true. Unfortunately, Naru is all about 'science!' and doesn't always seem to understand social norms and what's acceptable. And Mai... Mai can be far too trusting. As far as what was discussing with Gene during that blackout... It will come back up but not for a few chapters! I apologize! I really appreciate your feedback! Thank you for your review!_

 _and to the two **guests-** thank you guys soo much for reviewing!_

 _As we're wrapping up the story (okay, so there may be like ten chapters left), I'm hoping people will continue to review. I am a bit afraid that once the story is finished, it will disappear into the back pages of the category and no one will see it again! I know that when I search, I generally search by reviews or favorites. So if you are liking this story and feel like you would want others to read it, please take a moment to shoot a review or a favorite so that a year from now, someone else may still see the story!_

 _Thanks for reading!_

 _Ever Your Servant,_

 _A.F_


	24. Chapter 24

Ciao Poveglia

Rated: T

Shibuya Psychic Research receives a special invitation to a 'psychic summit' being hosted at the infamously haunted Poveglia island. Though crossing half the globe with his team is not ideal, Naru simply cannot pass up the chance to get into the normally locked down location. [Rated T, possibly M for gore later.]

000

 **Day 55, Hour: 17:32**

"How can anyone even think about eating in a time like this?" Mai muttered as she pushed around the food on her plate. Since the refrigerator had gone, they were pretty much restricted to eating chips and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Ian and his two American buddies (Mai had learned their names were Steve and Dave but still hadn't said more than a few words to them,) had opened their bags of jerky as well and passed it around. Naru had agreed to make a pot of rice for lunch the following day in a show of camaraderie though he was hardly happy about it.

"We all must keep up our strength, Miss Taniyama," Markus replied gravely, though he looked down at his own food with disinterest as well, "we wouldn't want someone to pass out from hunger."

Mai nodded slowly and glanced up at Naru. He gave her one curt nod, and she suddenly sat a bit straighter. "Um, Markus, I was thinking… Could Isabella reach Desdemona's spirit through her automatic writing?"

The blonde man looked at Mai curiously and then slowly nodded. "Yes… I think it is a possibility, at the very least. Of course, it is never a guarantee. Why do you ask?"

"Well, I just thought… Maybe we could find out who did this? If Isabella could contact Desdemona, then maybe she could tell us who killed her," Mai said with a shrug. She suddenly felt very nervous. She couldn't explain the feeling but she thought that perhaps Markus was uncomfortable with the idea. Then again, she couldn't say she necessarily blamed him. If he was under the impression a spirit had been strong enough to kill Desdemona, then surely he wouldn't want his sister provoking that spirit.

"That's a great idea," Ian replied between bites. He had previously been in conversation with Steve, so Mai hadn't thought that he had even been listening. "If we can narrow down the spirit, it may be possible for us to exorcise the spirit and eliminate the threat!"

Markus furrowed his eyebrows and frowned. "I'm not so sure—"

"It should be up to her, not you," Ian said quickly, cutting Markus off. He turned in his chair to face Isabella, who was across the room digging out a new pack of napkins for Ayako and Masako. "Hey, Bella!" Ian's shout immediately earned himself a glare from the young woman.

"She _hates_ when people call her Bella," Markus muttered, shaking his head. Mai felt he had said it for her benefit and nodded in understanding.

"You feeling up to some writin'?" Ian asked, raising his right hand and making a scribbling motion in the air. "You know, see if you can rile up Desdemona once last time?"

Isabella's eyes flickered over to her brother and then she shrugged. She raised her hand and signed something out. Mai looked over to Markus, who sighed loudly.

"She asks when you want her to do it."

Ian grinned widely. "Oh, great! I dunno. Now?"

"Maybe after dinner," Mai said quickly before there could be any objections from Markus. "Besides, shouldn't someone get Deittman to tell him what we're doing?" Deittman had taken his food and returned to the room he was using as his private chambers. Mai didn't actually know where it was, and she wasn't sure if Naru or Lin knew either. Still, he didn't seem to have any qualms in walking off alone, even after everything that had happened.

Mai wasn't sure what to make of Deittman's reaction to Desdemona's violent end. She of course hadn't been there when he saw the body, but for a man who had so much to say about Ash and his disregard for her safety, he had nothing to say about Desdemona. Mai couldn't begin to fathom their relationship. She had seem them at the masquerade ball and they had danced, but he was old enough to be her father, possibly even grandfather (Mai wasn't sure of either's age.) It seemed that their friendship was built more off of their fame in the field of parapsychology than anything.

But he seemed to be taking her death hard. Or extremely well. Mai wasn't sure which. Regardless, he still refused to call the police.

To make matters worse, the SPR team had discovered that Deittman had collected all of his team members' phones. They had all be left in his hotel room back in the city. Deittman had the only usable phone to call for help.

"Yes, that is a good point," Markus replied. "I will tell Deittman after we have finished eating. He may decide if he would like to join us or not."

 **Day 55, Hour 18:17**

It was already dark by the time the set in to watch Isabella work. The clouds were dark overhead and a storm was threatening to hit them hard that night. Mai had just been thinking about how glad she was for the backup generator when the floodlights filling Deittman's main base all went out.

"Please tell me that was intentional," Ayako said with a loud sigh. She and Lin were working on moving Ash down from the SPR base so that she wasn't left alone during Isabella's exhibition. Now, Lin was stuck holding Ash on the steps, unwilling to move in the dark in case he tripped and injured both of them.

There was a groan from Ian and cursing as he thudded against one of the tables. Soon, he clicked on one of the large flashlights to help illuminate part of the room. "Damn, I think the backup generator went out. Someone needs to go check it." He looked around the room as if expecting volunteers. No one stepped forward.

"I assure you," Naru said when no one volunteered, "no one from my team will be going. If someone is going to go, it should be someone who is familiar with the operation of the European generators."

He had a point. What could one of them do if they went anyhow? Put their hands on their hips and say, _yup. That's a generator, all right._ They couldn't fix it even if they wanted to.

"Fine. Dave, Steve, come here. We'll rock-paper-scissor for it," Ian said. He was clearly not happy over the matter. "I'm starting to think that Ash is faking her sleeping just to get out of doing any work. This would have been _her_ job normally."

"She's definitely _not_ faking it," Lin and Ayako both snapped at the same time, much to Mai's surprise.

 _Yup. He's still feeling guilty._

Steve and Dave lost their game, leaving them to go check on the generator. They grumbled as they found two more heavy-duty flashlights and shrugged their jackets on.

"Wait, shouldn't someone with some sort of psychic power go with you? For protection?" Mai said as they headed for the door. She felt guilty leaving two, seemingly powerless men to the task, especially if they were in danger.

"Don't you worry, missy," Dave replied with a half smile. He tapped his chest, and as he did, there was a clinking. He had something beneath his shirt. "We have our own form of protection. We'll be fine. You sit tight and awed and amazed as the extraordinary Isabella puts on a show." Both he and Steve laughed, but Mai couldn't tell if it was meant as a jeer, or just as a joke.

Markus and Isabella walked in at that moment, entering from the door that led in from the SPR base. Isabella was carrying a new notebook and a set of markers in her hand. "Someone needs to go check the generator," Markus said immediately.

"We're already on it," Steve replied and kept walking until he was out the door. Dave followed just after him.

"Will Deittman be joining us?" Naru asked and crossed his arms.

"No… He did not seem interested in this particular event. But, nevertheless, we shall continue." The twins walked down, passing the cot with Ash and Ayako's observation seat. He went straight into the middle of the room, waving his hand to shoo Ian away, and then pulled a bag from his back.

One by one, he started pulling out different items. First, he pulled out a blanket and a small pillow. Isabella set her items down and then took the new ones from Markus. She laid out the blanket, which wasn't particularly thick, and folded it over once. She set the pillow down on the blanket and sat down on it. Mai guessed that they didn't have any real importance, it was just to make Isabella more comfortable. She pulled her notebook and started to tear pages out—they popped right out, and cleanly, which was probably the point of that particular notebook over her normal one. Once she was done, she set the papers down in front of her, on top of the notebook cover for a smooth surface, and put her markers nearby.

Next, Markus pulled out five white, pillar candles—some were new, some were not. He set them out around Isabella before pulling out the last items: a white geode, a brass bowl, and a baggie of some sort of herb.

"Jasmine," Masako leaned over and whispered to Mai. "I don't really understand why they have all of these things. It's supposed to help communicate with the dead—but she shouldn't need those if she's a true automatic writer."

Markus withdrew a box of matches from his pocket and walked around, lighting each candle. Once he was done, he dropped a match into the bowl, which now held the jasmine. It burned slowly, making the room smell very fragrant. Markus then turned around to face the rest of the room, which was really just the SPR team and Ian.

"I'm sure some of you are familiar with this technique, but I shall explain regardless, just in case," he began and swept his arm to the side to point to the circle he had made. "While my sister does not need aid in contacting the dead, we feel this is an added precaution. In a place such as Poveglia, there are so many soul at unrest that we risk interference from another spirit. In order to narrow in on Desdemona's spirit in particular, these items will help us summon her specifically to us. We did go through her personal belongings to find her hairbrush. We've pulled a few strands, which are now burning with the jasmine."

From the corner of her eye, Mai could see Masako nodding in understanding. If Masako understood and apparently accepted this method, then Mai would as well.

"Usually, I would have preferred to have Ash available for this method as well. If too much energy gathers in the circle or around it, which sometimes can happen if too many spirits are trying to get through at once, the flames on the candles may start to rise. We've had a few incidents where things have caught fire, so I ask that everyone stay away from the circle unless approaching is absolutely necessary. We have a few water bottles on stand-by, but I would prefer to avoid an incident all together. If everyone is ready, then I think we may proceed." Markus stepped away and stood just behind Isabella. He had his hands clasped behind his back and he leaned forward slightly to make sure he could see the papers in case his sister were to write anything.

Everyone took an extra moment to get settled. Lin and Ayako stayed near the cot with Ash, while Naru pulled up a chair to sit near both Mai and Masako. John, Yasuhara, and Monk all positioned themselves in ways that would help them watch the doors, just in case there as a psychopathic killer who was planning on jumping them in the dark.

Once they stopped moving about, Ian reached over and clicked off the large flashlight next to him. The group was left in the dark, with only the flickering candle lights illuminating the center of the room. The silence was deafening. There were no crickets, no nighttime birds, nothing. It wasn't until the first echo of thunder ricocheted off the walls that there was anything at all. Mai jumped and watched as Isabella leaned forward, popping a cap off of a marker and bringing it to the first blank page. The moment her utensil touched the paper, the candles flared to life, letting everyone know that there was certainly someone waiting to speak with them.

000

 _Author's Notes: ah, finally something with Isabella! She's pretty easy to forget about since she isn't doing a whole lot of talking… But that's sort of the point with her personality._

 _MistressSleepwell666: your rationale on the Americans gave me a chuckle. You aren't wrong though-they really haven't brought anything to the table! Thank you for your review!_

 _Ghost Loves Japan 77: Thanks for your review! It's funny because you may be the only person saying "poor Desdemona"! I don't think anyone really liked her-whether it was the other characters or the readers!_

 _DragonSlayer2187: I do love the drama! I'm glad you approve of the relationship pacing, I definitely want to make it seem realistic. But, I do love Mai and Naru as a couple, so hopefully that shows by the end of the story! Thank you for your dedicated reviewing!_

 _Anonymous Ghost: I'm so glad there's another reader who has been to Venice! Hopefully you're enjoying the story and recognizing some of the locations listed! I'm not sure if there will be a direct reference to Ghost Adventures (though, the Americans are named after Steve and Dave from the show Ghost Hunters. I met them once haha.) Hope you're enjoying the story! Thank you for your review!_

 _Everyone else, thanks for reading!_

 _Ever Your Servant,_

 _A.F_


	25. Chapter 25

Ciao Poveglia

Rated: T

Shibuya Psychic Research receives a special invitation to a 'psychic summit' being hosted at the infamously haunted Poveglia island. Though crossing half the globe with his team is not ideal, Naru simply cannot pass up the chance to get into the normally locked down location. [Rated T, possibly M for gore later.]

000

 **Day 55, Hour 17:39**

There was a distinct energy in the air the moment Isabella started swirling her marker on the white paper. She wasn't looking down at what she was writing, rather, a bit upwards. Because of the darkness of the room, Mai doubted that the woman was looking at anything in particular. The flames seemed to pulse, reminding Mai of a heartbeat. But perhaps that was only because it was so silent between the thunder claps that she could hear her own heartbeat—or what she hoped was her own.

Isabella went through two pieces of paper, filling both with nothing but loop patterns, before finally her body stiffened and words started to form. Masako gasped from next to her, making Mai jump and shake the cot they were sitting on. "What is it?"

"I can see her," Masako muttered, staring at Isabella who was quickly filling the page.

"Desdemona?"

Masako nodded. "Yes. But there's another. She's fighting Desdemona for control of Isabella. I think she might win."

Markus stepped closer to Isabella and looked down at the words she was writing. He tilted his head to the side in confusion and started mouthing the words, as if trying to understand them. "This is odd," he said, though mostly to himself before looking up at the rest of the group. "The words are switching between French and old Venetian. I know for a fact that Desdemona certainly didn't speak Venetian at all."

"It's a little girl," Masako replied, since Markus hadn't heard her whispering. "She's very young. She's in an old dress, and she's holding a doll. She's badly burned and has some signs of disease. I would say she was from the last plague. She's been here a very long time. She's quite powerful."

Mai nodded, not necessarily surprised that it was the little girl who had seemed to be following her around (or leading Mai around, really,) trying to communicate.

"She would have to be quite powerful to be able to overtake a spirit specifically summoned. That was what I was worried would happen." Markus shook his head and rubbed his temple.

"Are you able to read the old Venetian?" Naru asked, though he didn't make a move to get a better look at the writing. Mai figured it was a combination of the writing being hard to distinguish in the dark and the fact that he himself didn't know any old Venetian.

Markus reached into the circle of candles, careful to avoid any of the flames, and pulled out a few of the completed pieces of paper. He pulled out the ones that were filled with just loops and then sorted through the others. "Hmm, is seems that Desdemona is repeatedly telling us to leave—the room? I think… I think she's saying that, yes. Saying that 'he's here,' though she can't seem to name who he is…. The other writing says the same thing, over and over— _the doctor_. I cannot tell if it is more specific than that because I am not overly familiar with old Venetian."

"Oh dear," Masako said and stood, "it seems they are fighting now." As she said it, the flames reared to life. Yasuhara suddenly lurched forward and grabbed Isabella, forcing her to stand upright. Markus threw down the papers and jumped forward as well, prying his sister from Yasuhara's grasp.

"What do you think you're doing?" Markus snapped, his face contorting in anger. He actually looked quite scary in the flickering candlelight. Yasuhara raised his hands and stepped back, getting dangerously close to one of the candles.

"Her hair," he said quickly, "it was about to catch fire. I was just—"

"Yasu, watch out!" Mai jumped up and called, but it was too late. Yasu's pant leg caught fire.

Chaos broke out. Masako was busy watching something that the rest of them could not see, and didn't even seem to notice the scrambling around her. Markus hurried to grab one of the water bottles he had mentioned while Lin pulled the blanket off of Ash and dove onto Yasu. In doing so, Lin kicked over one of the candles, which rolled but didn't go out. Isabella jumped out of the circle to avoid the rolling candle.

Masako gasped and staggered backwards. The flames became bigger than they had been at any previous point and the temperature in the room dropped drastically. "There's so many—too many. We must… leave…" Masako froze, her eyes wide in terror, and she went rigid. Moments later, she started to topple over, and Mai barely managed to grab her. Luckily, Masako was very light and even Mai was able to catch her without crumpling herself. She eased both of them to the ground, where she sat, cradling the other woman in her arms.

For a moment, it felt like Mai was watching a movie—like this wasn't really happening to her. The thunder rang again, but she barely heard it. Yasuhara and Lin were on the ground trying to put out one fire while another started to emerge. The candle that rolled lit up the papers Isabella had written on, starting a small blaze in the center of the circle. A wind was starting to pick up, but there were no open windows to cause such a thing to happen.

The flaming papers were sent flying about the room. Some were put out because of the wind, but others only grew. The only consolation was that there weren't too many other flammable objects in the room. Besides the people, of course. While Mai watched the scene unfold, the other SPR members and Ian ran around trying to get the flames put out.

Lin managed to put Yasuhara's fire out and turned to try to smother the growing fire in the center of the room at the same time Naru and John uncapped two water bottles. The three men took a step near the small blaze, but were immediately thrown back. Their bodies completely lifted from the ground—Lin hit against the stone foundation of the steps leading into the SPR base, while John collided with poor Isabella, knocking the girl roughly to the ground, and Naru flew backwards and slid a bit, stopping just at Mai's knees. His head out have probably smacked off the ground, if her legs hadn't been there to cushion it instead.

The fire had become an inferno. It wasn't _just_ a fiery mass however. No it was so much worse. Mai could see a creature in the middle. It wasn't human, or it wasn't anymore, at least. Was it a demon? Was it a long since twisted soul, taking advantage of the energy created by Isabella and the summoning circle? Everyone stared at it for a moment in silence before Monk, Ayako, and John started chanting whatever sort of prayers or protection spells they knew to try to ward off the creature. However, none seemed to work. Instead, it only seemed to anger the beast, which grew in size. Mai could feel the heat of the flames on her face, and she was the furthest away from the thing.

She took a deep breath, squeezed her eyes shut and screamed. " _Ash!"_

There was an immediate crashing from the other side of the room, but Mai couldn't tell was it was because the fiery creature was blocking her path. She leaned to try to see but was startled to find that the creature was staring _at her_. And Mai stared back. Time in the room seemed to stop as all of the air in her lungs was sucked out. She found she couldn't look away.

And then there was a howling and… nothing.

The fire immediately shrunk until the room was dark and there was nothing but smoldering embers littered about the area.

Mai's breath returned and she started heaving. It was like almost drowning and finally getting air. Around her, it seemed everyone else was doing something similar. Well, everyone but Markus it seemed.

"There's someone in the doorway!" He shouted angrily between breaths. A flashlight suddenly kicked on and he went running through the doorway that led from Deittman's main base before anyone could try to stop him. Not that anyone bothered. They were all too terrified.

"Shit," croaked Ash's voice from the darkness, "I take a nap and you manage to summon some damn fire demon or something. Can't a girl sleep in peace?"

There was a pause and then Mai started to laugh. It was a hysterical sort of laugh, and she didn't even realize that she had tears streaming down her cheeks at first. She wondered if she had been so scared in her life. Sure, she had stared down evil spirits before, but it was nothing like that. That… whatever it was… was _so_ inhuman that it shook her to her core—to her soul.

Around the room, a few others started to nervously laugh as well. Yasuhara and John joined in, as did Ian. Ayako started sobbing and Monk took to consoling her. Lin said nothing but groaned as he sat up. His fall had been the worse. Mai was glad he wasn't unconscious. Speaking of unconscious….

Mai reached down to Naru's head, which was still on her calves. When she touched him, she realized that he was shaking. He immediately brushed her hand away and silently sat up. Mai had never seen him shake. Naru had always been the strong, stoic rock in times of trouble and terror. It scared her to know that he was scared. Up until that point, one of the only things keeping her from having a full on mental breakdown over being trapped on Poveglia in such danger was the fact that Naru had managed to remain so calm.

But now she knew.

He was just as terrified as the rest of them. Maybe even more so since he was technically responsible for all of their safety.

But since Naru was Naru, he seemed to recover quickly. "Is anyone hurt? Yasuhara, how's your leg?"

"Hard to say," Yasuhara laughed and possibily cried. "Painful. Really painful. I'm almost afraid to see what it looks like in the light."

"Light," Mai heard Ian mutter. There was some shuffling about, and then finally, another flashlight clicked on. It was one of the large, heavy duty ones that helped light up the whole room.

Lin was still on the ground, though he was hunched over with his hands clasped behind the back of his head. Ayako was sitting in her chair again, and Monk was standing next to her. Her face was buried in his stomach and he had his hands on his head and shoulder, shushing her. John was helping Isabella sit up, speaking to her in soft Italian, likely trying to comfort her by speaking the language she knew best.

Though she had woken up briefly, Ash was now laying on the floor, the pillow from the cot next to her under her head. She was on her back with an arm thrown over her eyes. Mai couldn't tell if she was sleeping again or if she was just laying there quietly.

Naru… Naru just stood in the center of the room, staring down at smoldering remnants of Isabella's papers. Unfortunately, everything was lost. They only knew what Markus had managed to read off for them, and he didn't even have a chance to look at all of the papers.

"Everyone move into the SPR base. Ian, Isaballa, that includes the two of you. This area is no longer safe," Naru said, stepping forward and snuffing out the last of the red, glowing embers.

"Who are you to tell us what to do?" Ian huffed, crossing his arms and puffing his chest out. "Without Markus here, I'm the most senior member of –"

"Do whatever you want," Naru replied coolly, cutting off Ian's ran before he could get started. "But we're done with this. There have been too many 'accidents' and a _murder_. We're going to go to our base and hole in until Sunday morning. There will be no more investigating, no more use of our psychic abilities. Leaving here with our lives is our priority, even if Deittman doesn't seem to share that sentiment. You're welcome to join us. However, if you do, you will do as I say. Understood?"

Ian opened his mouth to argue but then looked over to Isabella, who was already nodding in agreement. Ian frowned. "Yeah, fine, whatever…"

"Good," Naru replied. "Then the first thing you can tell me is how long it takes to check on the generator."

Ian stared at Naru for about thirty seconds before coming to his realization and shouting, _"shit!"_ Ian grabbed the flashlight from the table and then took off running through the same door Markus had run through minutes earlier.

000

 _Author's Notes: to be honest, this wasn't exactly how I meant for the chapter to go. It just sort of… happened. Poor Yasu. Tries to be a hero. Gets a charred leg. Next chapter (maybe): what happened to Dave and Steve?_

 _ **SterlingClear** : I'm glad you liked the MaixNaru scene in the forest! I had a lot of fun writing it! There's still some small scenes coming up as well, though nothing will be as obvious as that scene, I will admit. Thank you for reviewing!_

 _ **Vella** : I have to say, your comment made me chuckle. I did consider that as an option at the start, but I didn't want to make Isabella too... interesting, I suppose. I felt like if I gave her two powers- the automatic writing and the telepathy with Markus, it may be overkill. But feel free to accept that head canon! _

_**Oxybry, Celtic Maiden14, "someone"** : thank you all for reading and for taking the time to review! It keeps me motivated (which I really need because, as always, as I reach the end I slow down. It's been hard for me to get the last few chapters out!)_

 _Thanks for reading!_

 _Ever Your Servant,_

 _A.F_


	26. Chapter 26

Ciao Poveglia

Rated: T

Shibuya Psychic Research receives a special invitation to a 'psychic summit' being hosted at the infamously haunted Poveglia island. Though crossing half the globe with his team is not ideal, Naru simply cannot pass up the chance to get into the normally locked down location. [Rated T, possibly M for gore later.]

000

 **Day 55, Hour 18:27**

The SPR group, along with Ash and Isabella, holed up in the SPR base area. Ayako set up an area to attend to Yasuhara's burn, which looked awful but apparently could have been a lot worse. Masako lay on a cot next to them, fanning herself. She had come to shortly after things calmed down in the room, though she hadn't spoken. She seemed more disoriented than anything, and muttered about a headache.

Monk checked the wards to the base, adding a few new layers of protection, while Lin and John went with Ash and Isabella to retrieve their things from the women's bedroom, along with two more cots as well. At first, Ash had insisted that she would be fine on her own, but Naru refused. He insisted that she go in a group, just like everyone else. She muttered a few words in Russian, or Mai thought it was Russian at least, but didn't fight any further.

One of the perks of having Ash and Isabella official 'on' the SPR team was the fact that they had no problem sharing what they had. Isabella had a stash of sweets she offered up—some rich, dark chocolate, crispy biscuits, and a few individually wrapped truffles. Apparently, the silent woman had a sweet tooth, which Mai actually found rather adorable. It fit well with Isabella's meek persona.

Ash… Well, her contributions fit her pretty well too. She had apparently smuggled in two bottles of liquor: high-end vodka and whiskey she had swiped from the masquerade a few nights earlier. She had also raided the hotel's mini bar, and taken all of the mini bottles with her. After she dumped her stash on the table (while wear fresh, non burned clothing,) Naru looked at her with a raised brow.

She grabbed her bottle of vodka and two disposable cups. _"You try living my life and see of often you want to be sober,"_ she had said with a snort and sat down next to Ayako to give some pointers on dealing with burn injuries. She gave one of the cups to Yasuhara, who accepted it in a blink of an eye.

They hadn't quite got around to telling Ash what she had missed in the last sixteen hours by the time Markus returned to the base. Mostly, Mai was surprised that Ash hadn't yet asked.

As soon as he entered, Isabella jumped up to check on Markus. He was soaked to the bone and breathing heavily. She helped him remove his wet blazer, but Mai doubted it really helped. His black button down shirt stuck to him tightly, as did is light grey pants. He might as well not have been wearing anything with how much of his, er, physique was on display through the wet clothing. Mai quickly looked away and rubbed her head nonchalantly.

"I chased him into the woods," Markus said once he managed to catch his breath, "over towards the bridge."

" _Who_ did you chase?" Naru asked, standing and approaching Markus. He even took the man one of the thin, unused blankets folded on a table. Mai was surprised.

Markus shook his head. "I—I don't know. I saw him at the door just after the flames went out. I thought—I thought perhaps it was the person Desdemona was trying to reference. I thought I could catch him. He was far too quick. And…" He furrowed his brows and looked to the side, as if he weren't sure what to say next.

"And..?" Naru pressed.

"It seems too impossible. To move so quickly while wearing it… He—or the figure really. I suppose it could have been a woman… The figure seemed to be wearing a cloak and mask very similar to… to a plague doctor," Markus said with a shrug and looked up Naru in bewilderment. The thought sent chills down Mai's back.

Of course there had been many stories about a crazed doctor who had experimented on the patients housed on Poveglia when it was a hospital over one hundred years ago, though he hadn't been a _plague_ doctor. But who knew? Was it possible that his spirit was still here and trapped? Could it have become so twisted by the darkness of the island that is started to take on other aspects of Poveglia itself? No one spoke about it, but it was a thought that likely crossed almost everyone's mind.

Mai's thoughts were interrupted by Yasu, who hissed loudly. Ayako apologized and he muttered something.

"Oh, you'll be fine, it's not so bad," Ash replied and waved her hand. "I know a thing or two about burns."

"You're awake," Markus said with some surprise, looking over Naru's shoulder to see Ash. "I didn't notice you over there."

Ash raised her cup. "Well, here I am. I'm sure you were _so_ worried."

An odd sort of expression passed over Markus's face for a moment before disappearing. It seemed his stoicism could come on as quickly as Naru's. "You know I was."

Mai looked over at Ash, waiting for some sort of witty retort or sarcasm. Instead, she saw the woman look away and stare into her cup, her shoulders tensing. She didn't say anything at all.

"Where is Ian?" Markus asked, looking around the rest of the room. "Steve? Dave? Even Deittman?"

"Steve and Dave haven't returned from checking on the generator. Ian ran out to go look for them shortly after you left—he also hasn't returned," Naru replied. "You didn't see them while you were out there?"

Markus shook his head. "No, and I passed right by the generator. There was no one there."

"Great," Ayako groaned and leaned forward, placing her head into her hands. "A few hours ago, there were fourteen of us. And now we're down to eleven."

"We'll be okay," John said with a soft smile. "We just need to stick together and make it… When does the first boat come to pick people up?"

"They should be here at about eight o'clock on Sunday morning," Markus answered, pulling the blue blanket around him tighter as he started to shiver. "I think I am going to go change. Will it be okay if I bring my things in there as well and join you all?"

Mai looked over at Naru curiously. Naru just gave a curt nod. "Of course. Though if you do, I ask you follow our rules."

"I promise I will not make trouble for you. All I want is for my sister and I to be able to leave at the end of this disastrous trip. Has anyone checked on Deittman, by chance?" Markus asked and took a step to the other door out of the room with Isabella just behind him. Lin and Monk also stood, presumably to go with Markus to the men's bedroom to get Markus's things.

"No. None of us were exactly eager to meet with him. I'm sure you understand," Naru answered and Markus nodded.

"Yes, of course. If those of you escorting me do not mind, I would like to check to see if he is still there… I am curious to know if he knows anything about this supposed doctor being. We will discuss what to do about Ian and the others after, yes?"

 **Day 56, Hour 01:09**

"You shouldn't be outside of the wards."

"Neither should you," Mai sighed and sat down next to Naru. They were just outside of the SPR base, sitting at the top of the stairs and looking into the blankness of Deittman's base. Naru had his legs threaded through the spokes of the metal poles holding up the banister, and Mai did the same.

Almost everyone was asleep. Ash was awake, though Mai couldn't blame her since the other woman had slept for so long. Lin was up as well, but mostly because Ayako told him not to sleep in case he had a concussion from hitting the wall. The two of them had cleared off a table and were playing a card game. They both had their own glasses of liquor as well, though Ayako had advised against it.

Deittman's door had been locked, Markus said upon his return in fresh clothes. He couldn't tell if the man was locked inside or if he had locked the door and left. Apparently Deittman was known for his privacy. Still it worried everyone. Could he be behind something more dastardly than just gathering everyone together?

The storm continued raging on throughout the night, keeping them from going to search for the Americans. No one particularly liked the idea of the trio possibly being out alone on the island, but everyone had reached the point where they were thinking of their own safety first. They did agree to look for the others in the morning—if the storm had subsided enough for them to go out.

So they stayed in and tried to make light of the situation. They played cards and a few ice-breaker guessing games. They munched on some open bags of chips and cracked open some sodas (or other liquids.) They did whatever they could to turn their forced conferment into a party. They didn't talk about Desdemona, or the fire demon, or Deittman. In fact, as far Mai could tell, Ash still didn't know about Desdemona.

They wrapped up when Masako started to fall asleep. She had been very quiet the entire night, and it seemed as if there was something troubling on her mind. She wouldn't speak of it though. Instead, when everyone started to quiet down, she returned to the cot she had been on earlier and laid down, facing away from everyone. Yasuhara agreed that he was feeling tired as well, though it could have also been a side effect of the pain pills Ayako gave him from her basic medic supplies kit.

Once those two settled in, John took up Ayako's chair and promised to sit nearby in case either one of Ayako's two patients awoke and needed anything. Ayako was visibly relieved to have a break in her duties, and she and Monk both awkwardly curled up on one of the larger cots pushed against the wall. Mai could hear small sobs and whimpers coming from Ayako throughout the night. The stress and trauma was clearly getting to the woman—the woman Mai would have previously said was unbreakable.

Markus and Isabella brought in their own cots and moved them to the opposite side of the room from everyone else. Mai wondered if it was because they didn't really trust the rest of the SPR team, but then again, SPR didn't really trust them. Perhaps the mutual tension was in the air, despite their best efforts to hide it. Still, both of the Valentinians were comfortable enough to fall asleep.

"You know," Mai said, speaking softly so not to wake anyone up. Her voice echoed off the walls in Deittman's base. "It's not your fault. We all came here willingly. You made it clear from the beginning that it could be dangerous."

"Of course it isn't my fault," Naru replied coolly.

Mai shrugged. "I'm just saying."

They sat in silence for a few minutes. Finally, Mai said, "what was Gene's message?"

"I already told you, I'm not talking about him."

"I just wondered… Did it have anything to do with Poveglia? Did he try to warn us?" Mai asked and then sighed. She didn't think he would answer.

"He tried to warn _me_ ," Naru said, though his words were hardly above a whisper. "I didn't listen to him. I was too angry that he hasn't crossed over—that he was still attached to you."

Mai nodded but didn't say anything. What could she say?

"He said that if I didn't send you home immediately, I would lose you," Naru continued to Mai's shock. "He didn't answer when I asked what sort of danger you were in. And then the next day, you met Markus."

It took Mai a moment to try to figure out what Naru meant. When she realized, she rolled her eyes and placed her head against one of the metal spokes. " _That's_ why you've been so weird around him? What, did you think that he would sweep me off my feet or something?"

Then it occurred to her that Markus _did_ technically do just that when they danced at the masquerade.

"Naru, I refuse to go through my confession all over again, just to try to get it through your thick skull. I can't deal with rejection again," Mai sighed and squeezed her eyes shut. "But nothing's changed. Not for me. Even if you don't believe it."

Silence again. Mai thought about going back into the room, but she didn't like the idea of Naru sitting just outside of the wards by himself. She was worried he was going to disappear into the darkness, just like Ian, Dave, and Steve had done. So she sat patiently instead, and waited.

"I'm afraid we aren't going to make it until help arrives, Mai."

Her breath caught in her throat and she had to remind herself to breath. Hearing him finally say it made her own fear grow, though she wouldn't let him see it. The fact that he was willing to confide in her… It felt like something. Something more than just an admission of fear. Trust maybe? She didn't want to try to read into it too deeply and search for something that wasn't there.

Mai sat up and leaned over, finding Naru's hand in the dark. She placed hers over his and squeeze. "It's like John said—we'll be fine as long as we stick together."

He shifted, lifting his hand and adjusting so that he his fingers wrapped around hers.

000

 _Author's Notes: there. Some fluffiness. Just to make you all happy. Just kidding! I've been waiting for an opportunity more like ~this~ in the story. I feel like fear will make you do some unlikely things. Naru, however, if often scared—at least for more than a few moments. I feel like the fact that this sort of terror is building and lasting, setting everyone on edge with no chance for escape is starting to get to him. Anyhow, for the rest of the plot, I think things are coming together quite nicely. Then again, I guess that's just because I know the final outcome! (Seriously though, I'm a bit impressed with myself. This is the first time I have had the whole plot figured out since the very beginning and have inserted things into the start of the story that will tie back in so much later. There's only one thing that I kinda introduced that I'm not sure I will follow through with! Just about everything else plays a part!)_

 _Oxybry: Well, since no one else can speak the language... I guess you'll just have to take Markus's words for it! Thank you, as always, for your review!_

 _MissKiku: You're right- someone else does have to die... I wonder who it will be! Find out in the next chapter! I think. Maybe it's the one after that. I don't remember! I'm glad you liked Isabella's ability. I wanted to make it believable, without everyone freaking out as soon as she started her thing. Of course, things quickly escalated! Thank you for your review!_

 _Ghost Loves Japan: I think a lot of people agree with you on Deittman... And that's totally okay. We'll see what happens to him in a few chapters... Thank you for reviewing!_

 _Hikari-Chimedekina-Neko: I'm glad you're excited! I definitely watched the Ghost Adventure's episode to help me get motivated! When I was in Ireland, I met people who met with the Ghost Adventure crew when they were filming. They kinda just... laughed when talking about him. Apparently huge crews go to set up for an investigation so it isn't really just the three of them most of the time! Thanks for reviewing! I hope you stick with it!_

 _Vella: I think that there are enough brilliant, psychic minded people there to determine if Diettman is possessed... Of course, that means that they have to see him first! It's difficult when he's locked himself in his room... I don't want to give too much away! =) Thank you, as always, for your thorough review!_

 _Thanks for reading guys!_

 _Ever Your Servant,_

 _A.F_


	27. Chapter 27

Ciao Poveglia

Rated: T

Shibuya Psychic Research receives a special invitation to a 'psychic summit' being hosted at the infamously haunted Poveglia island. Though crossing half the globe with his team is not ideal, Naru simply cannot pass up the chance to get into the normally locked down location. [Rated T, possibly M for gore later.]

000

 **Day 56, Hour 08:32**

When Mai awoke, she legs ached. She was curled up in an awkward position, and it wasn't until she sat up and rubbed her eyes that she realized why. Naru was sitting at the edge of her cot, a blanket wrapped around his chest and shoulders with his legs partially under her own. He had slept sitting up, against the cold wall, so that she could lay a bit more comfortably. He cracked his eye when she started shifted around.

There had been no other cots open when they finally went to bed. Ash and Lin had still be up and promised they wouldn't fall asleep before someone else was awake to keep watch on the base. When Mai and Naru agreed to awkwardly share the one cot, Lin snorted and Ash cracked a grin. Mai wasn't sure it had been directed at her or if the two had just had a drink too many.

Mai had a moment of panic, which caused her sit up fully and throw her legs over the side, when she smelled smoke. In her half asleep mind, the demonic fire demon had returned. But then she realized that she smelled food. She put her shoes on, which were sitting below the cot, and wrapped her blanket around herself to follow the smell.

In Deittman's base, Markus and John were taking turns watching a small fire (right where the inferno had started the night before,) and cooking some eggs. Mai recalled Markus saying that he was saving the rest of the eggs for everyone today, since they were one of the things that hadn't needed refrigerated.

"Good morning, Miss Taniyama," Markus greeted. John looked up and gave her a wave as well. "Food should be ready shortly."

"Where's everyone else?" Mai asked and leaned on the railing, watching the two carefully. She didn't like the idea of the open flame in the building, but she could see that it was still lightly raining out. It was probably easier to keep it nearby, rather than risk anyone wandering off outside.

"I think Lin and Ash are still sleeping," John said and pushed the half cooked eggs around in the small skillet. "They should be in there. Probably under their blankets through. They just went to bed a little while ago. Stayed up until Markus and I woke. Yasuhara is probably still sleeping too. Monk took the girls to the restroom to go get cleaned up. Ayako isn't feeling too well and said she really wanted a shower, even if it was going to be a very cold one."

"Ian and the others?" Naru asked from behind Mai. He approached and stood next to her.

Markus exhaled and shook his head grimly. "They haven't turned up yet. I… would like to take a walk around the grounds, if you find that acceptable."

Naru nodded and turned. Mai watched as he went back into the SPR base and headed straight for her cot. He wasted no time laying down and throwing an arm over his eyes. She doubted he slept much, and probably not comfortably at all. She couldn't blame him for wanted to get a bit more shut eye while everyone else was getting ready.

Mai walked down, blanket still over her arms, and pulled up a chair closer to John and Markus. Once she did, John stood.

"I'll be right back. I'll grab some water bottles and tea so we can put a pot on as soon as the eggs have finish, okay? I'll be just in the base," he said and brushed his hands on his pants. Mai nodded and hurried up the steps.

"Did you sleep well, Miss Taniyama?" Markus asked, not taking his eyes off the cooking food.

Mai shrugged. "As well as I could, I guess…"

Markus seemed to nod in agreement. No one had probably slept _well_ that night.

"I have kind of a personal question," Mai blurted out before she could stop herself. She blushed as Markus turned his head to look at her, a brow raised. "But… you don't have to answer. It's not my business."

He looked back to the fire, gave the eggs another push, and then sat back in his chair. "Go on?"

"Um…" _Oh, I really shouldn't have said anything. I guess it's too late to go back now._ "I was wondering… Were you and Ash… well, a couple?"

At first, he looked a bit taken aback. But then Markus gave his quick, half smile before it disappeared completely. "I suppose that is the technical term for it," he said clasping his hands together in front of him. He looked down at them but continued speaking. "She doesn't care much for 'labels,' at least. That's what she said. It was very short lived, you see. I suppose she didn't care for a _normal_ person, like me. Not enough excitement for her. Ultimately, I think it was for the better. We come from very different worlds, as you can imagine, I'm sure. May I ask you a personal question in return?"

Mai shrugged and nodded. _Couldn't hurt, right?_

"Are you and Doctor Davis—or, what is you call him? _Naru?_ Are the two of you… involved?"

Mai blushed even harder and suppressed an awkward laugh. "Oh… No… Nothing like that. I just work for him."

"Really? I would never have…" Markus had a thoughtful expression for a moment and then shrugged. "So, if all of this ends and we all get off this forsaken island safely, he would have no qualms with me perhaps coming to Japan for a visit? I've always wanted to visit some of the Asian countries…"

She couldn't help it. She laughed. She smiled widely and laughed, which was good because it ended up releasing a great deal of tension she had built up over the last two days. "I'm sure that would be fine. If we get out of here, that is."

"What are you two laughing about?" John asked from the top of the stairs, a few water bottles and tea bags in hand.

"Markus wants to come visit us back home when this is all done," Mai replied brightly. Markus gave his half smile and returned to watching the eggs.

"I think that's a great idea," John replied and started down the stairs. "It's a great place. I love it in Japan."

"Good. I look forward to it," Markus replied and grabbed a tea towel, using it to move the eggs from the fire. He just set it down on the stone floor. It wasn't as if he could damage it any further.

Mai's smile started to fade until it was barely a ghost on her lips. The optimism was a nice change in pace. But that's all it was optimism. She couldn't shake the feeling that the next twenty-four hours would eliminate any bit of optimism they had.

 **Day 56, Hour 09:22**

The rain let up enough for a search to commence. After what happened the previous day in finding Desdemona however, the group decided to split into only two—half would say at the SPR base while half would go canvassing the ground. Yasuhara was in no condition to walk too much on his injured leg, so Ayako remained behind. Masako chose to stay in the base as well, primarily saying that she couldn't handle being overwhelmed by so many spirits again. Ash was still sleeping so they let her remain as well.

The others all left to start checking each building. There was no word over the radios, but most of the batteries had died and there was no way to use the rechargeable sets without a working generator. So Ayako agreed to keep everyone together in the base until the other group could return. The other group, in exchange, said that they would report back in person every hour.

Even though it was still raining when they went out, the sun was shining through. Mai found the brightness refreshing—even the rain was refreshing, actually. It made her feel like the events of the day prior were being washed away. Maybe everything would be okay. Maybe Ian and his companions were just holed up in one of the other buildings, taking shelter from the storm. Maybe they fell asleep and just hadn't made it back over to the main base. They had assured her that they had some sort of protection on them, after all.

Markus led the way, being the most familiar with the island. Still, he asked for everyone else's opinion on where they should go first, and they opted for the old medical facility. It was one of the most structurally sound buildings on Poveglia, and it seemed likely that it would be a good choice for shelter, if Ian and the others ended up holing up away from the others.

"This building gives me the creeps," Mai muttered as they walked in. She wrapped her arms around herself and carefully stepped inside. The door was stuck open and debris had built up at the entrance over time.

"It should," Naru responded from just in front of Mai, "this is where the infamous doctor conducted most of his experiments. His spirit has been reported in this building numerous times—each time causing people to feel extreme sensations of fear."

Mai nodded, though it hardly put her at ease. They walked through the building, occasionally calling out for Ian and his companions. Sometimes they thought they heard movement, which often prompted a shout and a bit of investigating. For the most part, however, it was relatively quiet. The only real, consistent sounds were those of water dripping through cracks and crevices, and wind and rain blowing in through broken windows.

"Anything?" Naru asked as John and Lin rounded a corner from investigating a nearby sounds.

Lin shook his head. "No, nothing. We've covered just about the entire building now too. There are only a few areas left to cover."

Markus, Isabella, and Monk stepped out of the room they had popped into for a look. Monk sighed. "I guess we should just finish up here and move onto the next one. I was really hoping we would find them on our first try."

Isabella nodded solemnly in agreement.

"We just have the doctor's quarters to investigate, then we can move onto the next building," Markus replied and turned to lead the way, his hands shoved in his pockets and his head slightly hanging. Mai figured that it must have been hard on him since he knew Ian and the others better than he knew the SPR team.

They didn't say anything as they started walking down the last hallway. Mai could only hear the sound of their footsteps. In fact, the longer they walked, the more it sounded like a march. _Thudthudthud._ Mai blinked. Then she squeezed her eyes shut and opened them again. For a moment, it was like the hallway had stretched, extending the hallway and making it seem like they had been walking longer than they actually had. She looked around to see if anyone else had noticed anything, but no, no one seemed to be confused or aware of any difference. It must have been in her head.

She turned to look straight forward and then jumped with a light _eep!_

"What is it, Mai?" Naru asked as the group stopped and looked at her.

"I just…" She looked around at the faces staring at her and blushed. "It might be weird, but I keep seeing this little girl around the island. I thought I saw her just now. No one else saw her?" Everyone looked at one another and shook their heads. "Maybe I'm just getting a little freaked out and imagined seeing her again."

"Does this sort of thing happen often?" Markus asked, raising a brow at her.

"No," Naru replied quickly, "but I know what she's talking about. I also saw this spirit. She was the one that led us to Desdemona's body."

Markus quickly turned around, scanning the hallway for any signs of the spirit. "Truly? Where did you see her just now?"

Mai stepped forward, passing Naru, to stand in the front of the group. "I think it was that room, the third one down," she said, raising her hand to point.

Markus frowned. "That is the Doctor's office. Perhaps… Perhaps I should go look alone."

"No," Naru and Lin said in unison. Naru continued, "too many people have wandered off when investigating alone. We came this far together, we will continue as one group."

The blonde man's mouth twitched upwards and he nodded. "Yes, of course. I appreciate it." He then took a step forward and started to lead the group to the entrance of the Doctor's office. With each step, a pit in Mai's stomach seemed to grow. She knew that whatever why would find there, it wouldn't be pleasant.

000

 _Author's Notes: we're getting down to the end of it. There may actually only be four or five more chapters left. But I promise you, they will be… exciting? Well, there will be a lot happening very quickly now. The chess pieces are in place, now to send them into battle! ((Unfortunately, I'm reaching the point where my pace is slowing down... I would like to finish the story before I post the last written chapter and then have a long wait for the ending of the story!))_

 _SterlingClear: YOUTH. Yes. That is a perfect way to describe it. I often think of them as immature, but I think simply saying their reactions are a testament of their youth is so much better. They are inexperienced. I'm glad you were happy with the way it went! I can't say there will be a whole lot more fluffiness (though dark as it may be in mine,) but I have some ideas for how to wrap it up... Thank you for your review!_

 _adanyasophia07: Thank you for reviewing! I'm sure Mai felt like she wanted to hug Naru too! I can't promise too much fluffiness... I can promise that things are going to get very dark, very fast... Hope you'll stick around through the end!_

 _Ghost Loves Japan 77: I'm glad you liked Isabella! I used her in another story, and she was very, very unlikable in it. I felt like if I was going to bring her back, she needed to be the complete opposite. I do agree that the Mai/Naru moment was "sweet but sad," mostly because you can probably assume that something bad will end up happening if Naru feels like he needs to be opening up before it's too late!_

 _MissKiku: I can't say too much about your ideas, but I can say that each option is plausible to some extent! I also like that you say, "who will die next" rather than, "will someone else die next?" Because yes. With the way this story is going, someone will definitely be dead._

 _Vella: Oh my goodness, your review makes me want to cry in happiness. It is the sort of thing I think all authors hope to receive at some point or another! There are so many more details and side stories I would have liked to have included, but I knew from the beginning that I wanted it to be all from Mai's perspective- especially because there were so many original characters. I didn't want readers to think that I was trying to make it all about the OC's, though I have involved Ash a bit more than intended since readers seemed to like her. Which is good, because I will be much more satisfied with the ending (bwahaha!) The reason the doctor was mention was definitely because it was something that was mentioned much earlier in the story- I wanted to bring in part of the supernatural element of Poveglia and it's history, which involved a derranged doctor... There is more to that, of course, but I cannot bring it up quite yet! I think it's likely that I will add some "possibly overlooked details" onto the tumblr page when the story has been completed so that people can go back if they feel like it and have the chance to say, "ahh, I see now." But really, thank you, thank you, thank you for your wonderful review! I want to screenshot it so that every time I get a really bad review, I can look at it and feel not so bad!_

 _On a total side note: are you in the United States? Do you want to go to a wizarding school?! There's a kickstarter for a "magischola". I am totally participating the weekend on July 28th thru 31st , 2016. If it strikes anyone's interest and you pledge to back one of their limited tickets (campaign ends on January 4th,) please let me know! I would love to meet up with you!_

 _Thanks for reading everyone!_

 _Ever Your Servant,_

 _A.F_


	28. Chapter 28

Ciao Poveglia

Rated: T

Shibuya Psychic Research receives a special invitation to a 'psychic summit' being hosted at the infamously haunted Poveglia island. Though crossing half the globe with his team is not ideal, Naru simply cannot pass up the chance to get into the normally locked down location. [Rated T, possibly M for gore later.]

000

When they approached the door, Markus raised his hand to the door handle. There was a pause where he seemed to steady himself for what was inside, and then he threw it open. Inside…

There was nothing.

Well, nothing too unusual at least. There was an old desk with some decaying papers stuck to the top of it. A beat up chair was half pushed out, like someone may have been sitting in it at one point and then stood. There were shelves around the room with a few jars filled with cloudy liquid and old medical tools on display. It was… an office. Markus let out a soft sigh of relief and stepped into the room to look around.

The atmosphere was very heavy. It was the only way Mai could really describe it. She followed in with Isabella after Naru and Monk, with John and Lin bringing up the rear. The room itself wasn't very big, but they all fit comfortably enough. Looking around, Mai noticed that there were some handprints in the dust on the desk and chair.

"Did you set up cameras in this room?" Mai asked, looking around for any sign that someone had been in there.

"Yes," Markus replied, pointing up to the top of one of the shelves. But then he frowned. "That's odd. I know that we set up a camera and digital recorder in here, but they seem to be gone."

"So even if continued to record after the connection to the main base was lost, we have no way of seeing what it caught," Naru said. It came off as more of a statement than anything, as if he were explaining it for everyone else's benefit. "What's beyond that door?"

Markus turned around to face the door Naru was looking at. "Ah, that was his private examination room… I'm rather sure that door was open when I was in here during set up. I suppose it's possible that the wind from the storm closed it."

"Yeah, not likely," Monk snorted and stepped forward. He went to the door and nodded to Lin, who nodded back and put his fingers to his mouth in case he needed to whistle to summon his familiars. Monk seemed to count to three under his breath and then threw the door opened.

They couldn't see into the room from their angle, but they didn't need to see in side to know. Monk's expression told it all. His eyes went wide in terror and his jaw quivered. Isabella was the next closest, and before Markus could stop her, she stuck her head in. The mute woman opened her mouth and made a sickening choking noise before stumbling backwards into Mai. Isabella turned and sprinted out of the room, Markus hot on her trail.

Mai followed just out of the door, calling after them to stop, but it was no use. They were both running down the hallway, back the way they had come. She thought about trying to pursue the Valentinians, but Mai knew that now was not the time to go wandering off. She needed to stay with the others for her own safety. Isabella and Markus had gone off before on their own, and so far they had been fine. Though, the Americans probably thought that they would be fine too when they went to go check on the generator…

Lin slowly approached Monk and grabbed the man's shoulder, pulling him away from the door. Mai watched as he did so, and she saw even Lin's expression change. She couldn't recall another moment where the man looked so disgusted—and he had seen Desdemona's body only a day earlier. Whatever was in that room… she didn't want to see it. Mai wished she hadn't seen Desdemona. She wasn't going to make the same mistake now.

"They're dead, aren't they?" Mai asked softly, though she knew the answer already. "All of them?"

Monk slowly walked away from the examination room and back into the Doctor's office, staring straight ahead swallowing hard. It looked like he was trying not to be sick. Lin looked at the scene for another moment before he started to slowly shut the door. Naru moved forward as if to look, but Lin blocked his way. They stared at each other for a moment, and Lin just shook his head. Naru seemed to reluctantly concede and then stepped back. The scene was _that_ bad.

"Three bodies. They're wearing the clothes that Ian, Dave, and Steve were wearing yesterday," Lin muttered. Mai furrowed her brows and stared at him.

"What's that supposed to mean? Is it them, or not?" Mai asked, her shoulders slumping.

Of course, it had to be them. There wasn't anyone else left on the island.

"They… they're unrecognizable. Pieces are… missing," Lin replied slowly. Mai could feel her stomach start to flip as he spoke.

"Oh, hey, there you are," came a voice from the doorway. Mai nearly screamed at the sound of the new voice, and Monk looked like he was ready to throw a punch. Ash stood in the doorway, her arm propped up on the fame and breathing heavily. "Didn't mean to scare you guys. You need to get back to the base."

Suddenly, Monk lurched forward, grabbing Ash by the collar of the long sleeve shirt she was wearing. "You left Ayako alone with just Yasuhara and Masako?! What were you thinking?"

Ash scowled and threw her arms up, breaking Monk's grip on her collar. There was a slight tear heard as she did so. Monk probably stretched out her shirt. "Yeah? So what? Yasuhara was the one who sent me. I didn't see any reason not to—they're just at the base. Well, the bathroom, but they're just down the hallway. What the hell is the matter with you?"

 _Right. She still doesn't know._

"The Americans are dead," Naru said coolly, causing Ash to look at him in confusion.

"What the-? Is that supposed to be some sort of joke?" She asked, rolling up her sleeves. She looked like she was preparing for a fight. "Listen, I know that I said _I_ might be dead by the end of this, but just because they're off hiding somewhere—"

"Ash," Mai whispered, catching the woman's attention. She stopped talking and looked at Mai. Mai flicked her gaze over to the now shut door. Ash followed her gaze and then stormed over. Lin raised his arm to stop her, but Ash swatted him away and pushed the door opened. She also froze once she looked inside.

"Is there a chance there's someone else on the island," Naru asked. His voice was hard and demanding. When Ash didn't reply, he asked again, louder.

Ash shook her head and looked down, slowly backing away, pulling the door closed. Lin grabbed her shoulders and guided her away. He also blocked her way to the door leading into the hallway, just in case. "No, there's no one else. Not possible."

"Why?" Naru demanded.

"Deittman had a thermal sweep done. It was an aerial job, done on the morning our team arrived for set up. We had an incident last year with someone hiding on the grounds. He wasn't taking his chances here." Ash looked up and around at the faces before her. Mai had to hand it to her—Ash didn't look afraid. She looked more bewildered than anything. "How did this happen?"

Monk paced around, his hands pushed into his hair. "What's wrong with Ayako? Why did you come get us?"

"She's just not feeling well, that's all. She wanted me to get you. I don't think there's any danger—"

"No _danger_?" Monk shouted, whirling around to face her, his hands waving about. "How can you look in that room and say there's no _danger_."

Ash's face contorted as she scowled and took a step closer to Monk. "Shout at me all you want, but it won't do anything but piss me off! Besides, as long as they went back into the wards, they should be fine right?"

Naru put himself between Ash and Monk. Mai chose to avoid the possible physical confrontation and stepped around behind the Doctor's desk. As she did, her foot kicked something that was pushed beneath the desk.

"We think a person did this," Naru said, trying to defuse the situation. His voice was still cool as he spoke, but not as aggressive. "Desdemona is also dead. No one's seen Deittman. He's a very likely suspect."

Ash pushed her hand through her hair, ruffling some of her multicolored locks. "Deittman? No, no, that's not possible. He couldn't… The scalpels were… He doesn't have that kind of power. Desdemona's dead? When? How? Why do you think it's a person? Why not spirits. We're on the most haunted island in the world and…" She trailed off and it seemed the color started to drain from her face.

"Our base was ransacked, but the wards would have kept a spirit out. Whoever did it is likely another psychic. That's why I asked if there was anyone else on the island. Steve and Dave were also certain they had protection from spirits, but apparently that didn't help…"

Mai didn't listen to what Naru said next. She knelt down and tried to pull whatever she kicked out from beneath the desk. It was jammed beneath the right side drawers pretty tightly though, and it took some work.

"Desdemona was first… I shouldn't have left them alone…" Ash muttered and looked up. Mai only glanced up long enough to see a look of terror pass over her face before she shoved Naru down and pushed passed Monk and Lin, who both reflexively went to help Naru. Ash dashed out the door. Mai managed to yank the item out from under the desk at the same time. She fell back with an _umph._

It was a large briefcase, as it turned out. It had just been turned around so she could tell. It was made out of smooth, brown leather. It looked like high quality work—but mostly, it looked new. She lifted it and put it on the table. The others didn't pay any mind to her because they were too angry over Ash running off. They seemed to think she had something to do with the deaths, which Mai thought was quite impossible since Ash had been unconscious and with them most of the time.

But they continue listing off rapid possibilities of what was going on. "Mai, come on," Monk said and tried to grab her arm. "There's no time for this, we have to get back!"

"Just wait," Mai replied casually, which was rather unlike her in a tense situation like this. "Don't ask me why, but I feel like I need to open this."

Monk didn't like that answer. He started cursing up a storm. It took both Lin and Naru to restrain him enough keep him from grabbing Mai and dragging her out. While they did, she flipped the case over and unlatched it, surprised that it wasn't unlocked. She gasped as soon as she opened it.

"Guys…" she muttered and pulled out one of the pieces inside. It was a plague doctor mask. The inside of the case was well lined and apparently made to hold three masks. Two of them were plague doctor masks based on the shape of the padding, but one was missing. She held up the mask so that the other three could see.

"Bloody hell," Naru muttered and took the mask from Mai. It had blood the front of it. "There's a fingerprint on it. We may be able to identify—"

"We don't need to," Mai whispered, causing the men to look at her once more. She pulled out the other mask, which sat in the third, cushioned spot. She raised it and turned it to them.

It was a plain, _familiar_ gold mask.

000

 _Author's Notes: see? Everything lines up. I described everyone's mask for a reason! I apologize if you saw this coming from a mile away. I write murder mystery parties in my spare time, and I spend so much time making sure the mystery is solvable, that I may have made it too obvious leading up to the reveal. There will be more explanation as we go. (If for some reason you haven't figured it out, then I suppose you'll have to wait to the next chapter?)_

 _Oxybry: hmmm so were your feelings you mentioned in your review correct? I wonder... hahaha. I hope you're enjoying the story still! Thank you for reviewing, as always!_

 _Ghost Loves Japan 77: I'm thinking that even after everything, Naru really won't see Markus as competition now, haha! Thank you for your review!_

 _guest- someone: thank you so much! I'm glad you're enjoying it, and thank you for sticking with me so long! I know that it started off slowly, but mostly, it's because I wanted to make sure everyone was invested in the characters before the real meat of the story started to show! I wanted to make sure there was enough detail so that the readers could put themselves in the characters' shoes and feel a sense of foreboding as we continued on! I know I haven't added much to the tumblr page but I have some ideas for post story snippets that wouldn't fit well on this website. So even when we wrap up, I hope you'll stick with me!_

 _kikifan21: I'm glad you're enjoying it! I will have to check our yours as soon as I am able to wrap this story up! I did meet Steve and Tango some years ago, so I couldn't help myself! As for the other's knowing about Oliver... Honestly, I couldn't remember for the life of me if the other's all learned the full truth and I couldn't find a link online to try to go back and read the manga to find out for sure. So... I basically tried to not address it (I know! Bad author!) Really, it didn't make a huge difference if the others knew or not, so Naru didn't make a scene out of it. He let people assume what they wanted. And since they all call him by a nickname anyhow, I figured it wouldn't change how they saw him! I'm glad you don't find Naru's personality too extreme. I do feel like he has a lot going on under the surface and he just isn't sure how to let it come out without seeming weak or needy-because I think that's what he fears most! You are definitely right. Gene's warning could certainly have multiple meanings, which is why I worded it just as I did! As for your other thoughts, I will leave you to those until the next chapter! I will certainly shoot you a message when I have a moment! Love to meet a fellow ghost hunting fan! Thank you sooooooooo much for your wonderful, amazing review!_

 _Everyone else, thanks for reading!_

 _Ever Your Servant,_

 _A.F_


	29. Chapter 29

Ciao Poveglia

Rated: T

Shibuya Psychic Research receives a special invitation to a 'psychic summit' being hosted at the infamously haunted Poveglia island. Though crossing half the globe with his team is not ideal, Naru simply cannot pass up the chance to get into the normally locked down location. [Rated T, possibly M for gore later.]

000

 **Day 56, Hour 10:16**

Monk led the pack of running SPR members, bursting through Deittman's base, jumping over the pots and pans that had been used for breakfast, and scaling the stairs with incredible speed. He continuously called out for Ayako, but there was no response. It took a few more moments to catch up with him, but Lin managed before Monk could run out of the SPR base on his own. Naru slowed so that Mai and John could catch up before they too exited into the hallway.

By the time they reached the corridor that led to the bedrooms and the only working restroom, they could already smell smoke. Ash had apparently already managed to get stir up more trouble. Monk skidded to a halt at the end of the hallway and stopped for just a moment before shouting for Ayako again, and disappearing around the corner. Lin, on the other hand, stopped within their sight and whistled sharply, summoning his familiars to his side.

 _Not a good sign…_

The remaining three caught up and followed Lin's gaze.

Monk stood next to Ash, just a few feet into the next hallway. Ash was moving her hands back and forth, a ball of fire moving between them. And just beyond them…

Masako was laying on the ground next to Yasu. Neither of them were moving—Mai couldn't even tell if they were _breathing_. Masako's head was turned away, but Mai could see Yasuhara's. He was crumbled on the ground, bleeding from his lip, nose, and temple. There was blood on a chunk of stone laying just in front of him.

All of that was secondary though. What they were all staring at was the figure in a black cloak and plague doctor mask, holding Ayako against him tightly, with a scalpel centimeters from her neck. She was trying not to breath, likely afraid that she would cut herself if she even swallowed.

"I swear to god, if you hurt her, I will light you up so fast…" Ash growled. As she did, the ball of fire in her hands grew, as if to reaffirm her point. The figure in black seemed to think about it for a moment and adjusted his grasp on the scalpel, lowering it just a bit.

"Let her go," Monk snapped, though there wasn't much else he could do without risking Ayako's life.

"You don't have to do this," Ayako said, her voice shaking. Her eyes started watering and the first tear of fear rolled down her cheek. "For god's sake, just let me go. You can't do this. Please. I'm pregnant. Don't do this."

The figure froze at Ayako's words. Mai hoped that it was enough to make him rethink his actions, whether Ayako was being honest or not. _Is she telling the truth?_

" _What?"_ Monk hissed, though Mai couldn't tell if he was more angry or surprised. Maybe it was just fear that made him sound so abrasive.

The masked figure turned his scalpel towards Ash, though it wasn't exactly menacing, since they were still more than a yard apart. And then he let go. And then the scalpel hung in the air. Mai couldn't contain her gasp, seeing the object lazily floating in the air. Naru quickly stepped up to block Mai, standing just behind both Monk and Ash. At first Mai thought it was for her own protection, but when the sharp instrument shot forward towards Ash and the figure shoved Ayako towards Monk, Naru was ready. He raised his hand and a burst of energy shot out from Naru's body throwing everyone around him (minus Lin, who likely prepared for Naru's action) to the ground, as well as scalpel.

Ash hit the wall from the force of Naru's PK, but she quickly started to force herself to stand. She staggered forward, trying to go after the figure. She was too late though, he was gone. He knew the grounds better than any of them, and he knew how to disappear quickly. She started firing out a slew of curses, many of them in her native tongue.

Mai looked up at Naru from her spot on the ground, surprised at the force he had managed to expel so quickly. Her awe was short lived as he immediately started to sway. She was on her feet in an instant, grabbing onto him and guiding him to the wall to keep him from collapsing on the ground. Monk and Ayako were still on the ground and they made no effort to stand. Monk held Ayako to him tightly while she sobbed. John went to check on Masako and Yasuhara while Lin sent off one of his familiars to persue their attacker.

"Are you okay, Naru?" Mai asked, still holding onto Naru's arm so that he didn't slide down the wall. He didn't answer, but he didn't need to. Mai had seen what happened when he released so much energy at once. He would need time to rest.

"Guys, Masako looks okay, but is unconscious. Yasuhara doesn't look good though," John said from his spot next to the two SPR members.

"He just… appeared. Masako and I were walking out of the restroom. Yasu was waiting outside of us. We turned around, and he was there! The piece of walling flew at Yasu, hitting him into the wall. Masako went flying back as well, though nothing hit her… He grabbed me and then Ash got here. If she hadn't arrived when she did…." Ayako spoke between sobs and then buried her head into Monk's chest. It seemed, for the moment, they were all avoiding mentioning the _other_ topic. Now wasn't the time, anyhow. "I don't understand, who is he, why is he doing this?"

"We know who it is," Mai replied quickly, "it's—"

"—fucking _Markus_ ," Ash replied with a snarl, hitting her hand off the wall.

"You _knew_ ," Monk hissed, moving Ayako off of him so that he could stand and close in on Ash. "You didn't _say anything_? I'm starting to think you're in on all of this!"

"Calm down," Naru interrupted as he put his head against the wall and shut his eyes. "He obviously sees her as a threat, if he was willing to turn the scalpel on her instead of the person he already had in his grasp."

"We need to go back to the base. We need to tend to Yasuhara and Masako," Lin stated, joining John and carefully looking over Yasuhara. "Monk, help me move him. John, can you get Masako?"

"Yeah, I think I can manage. Ash can you help me carefully lift her?" John asked. He received a nod in return.

"Come on," Mai said, pulling Naru gently in the direction of their base.

"I can walk on my own, Mai," Naru replied and started to pull his arm away. Even just that bit of force caused him to start to slide backwards. Mai caught him and shook her head.

"No, you can't. Now come on." She pulled him again and this time, he followed, though with a reluctant sigh. The two led the way as Monk and Lin carried Yasu behind them, and Ayako followed after. Ash helped get John situated, then followed after him, continuously looking over her shoulder to make sure there was no danger.

Once they were all safely inside, everyone seemed to be in silent agreement of what to do. John set Masako down on one of the cots and set to work on keeping the door to the hallway shut. There was no lock, but he started shuffling items around to make a make-shift barricade. Ash headed for Deittman's base and started to commandeer any remaining supplies that hadn't already been moved into the SPR base: left over flashlights and batteries, chair and tables to use for barriers, food and drink… Anything that could be useful, really.

When she returned, she and Lin worked on creating something to block the SPR base from Deittman's base. There was no door, so they were completely exposed on that front.

Naru sat by, idly watching. Mai didn't need to ask to know that he was deep in thought. The far off look in his eyes told her that he wasn't exactly _present._ So, once she was sure he was okay on his own, Mai went to help Monk and Ayako clean off Yasu's wounds.

"Will he be okay?"Mai asked, opening a bottle of water and wetting a cloth for Ayako.

Ayako sniffed and shrugged. "I don't know. I'm just glad he's still breathing. Poor guy. He's had some bad luck this trip," she said with a forced laugh.

Mai nodded. _Bad luck. I think we're all actually lucky to still be alive at this point…_

"Ayako, you know we're really going to talk about this," Monk muttered and opened the first aid kit to pull out some bandages.

"Not not," Ayako replied quickly, and perhaps a bit harshly. "I just… can't. I didn't even want to bring it up until this was all over."

"How long have you known?" Monk asked, despite Ayako's insistence.

She sighed. "Just before we left Japan. Now drop it."

Monk nodded, though it looked like there were words on the tip of his tongue. After a few more moments of awkward tension, he spoke those words. "You know, John's a priest, he could totally mar—"

"I said drop it."

Mai decided that was her cue to leave the couple be. She stood and walked to the center of the room. She felt useless. She couldn't help the others really do anything. There was nothing she could do to keep Markus…

And then things finally started to hit her. Mai slowly walked over to the cot she had slept on and sat down, bringing her knees to her chest. How had she missed it? Usually her instincts were so spot on… And yet she hadn't suspected a thing, not one iota of darkness in the blonde man. Maybe she hadn't really been paying attention. Maybe she was so distracted by his attention to her that it never occurred to her to suspect him.

Just a few hours ago, he was suggesting he come visit her. Did he say that, thinking he was going to kill all of them before they even had a chance to _see_ their boat off the island?

More than anything, Mai wondered _why_ Markus had killed four people. Apparently, she wasn't the only one thinking that.

"I think you owe us some answers," Naru said, interrupting Mai's thoughts. His eyes were on Ash's back. She finished whatever it was that she was doing and turned around with a sigh. "Now."

"Fine, but first…" She crossed the room to where the liquor bottles were sitting and poured herself a drink. She downed it and then poured another. "Yeah, okay, that's better. What do you want to know?" She flipped one of the chairs around and sat down, crossing her long legs. Her posture made it clear that Naru shouldn't expect to interrogate her—whatever she told was voluntary.

"Confirm that Markus is a telekinetic," Naru started, putting his hands together in front of his mouth. Ash nodded. "How long have you known, and why wasn't it disclosed? Our research shows that he has never shown any signs of psychic activity."

"About two years, just before we, ah, broke up. It was never disclose d because, well he never told anyone. I didn't think it was my business to tell. Diettman had gone through a series of tests with him years ago, but nothing turned up. I guess the power was dormant. Probably popped up after his mother died. That's when I noticed it, at least," Ash said with a shrug.

"I think it's all of _our_ business to know when we're around a powerful psychic who can do us harm," Monk snapped and frowned. Mai noticed a slight wince from Naru, but he quickly covered it.

Ash rolled her eyes. "I, more than anyone, know what it's like to be abused for your abilities. So I kept my mouth shut. Same way I didn't say anything about Mai."

"Mai?" Naru asked with a raised brow. Mai applauded his ability to play dumb, when needed.

"Yeah, Mai," Ash replied sharply, "please. Don't take me for an idiot. I can feel abnormal power at a distance. How do you think I ended up at that shrine when we first met? It's this thing inside of me. The more it consumes me, the more it's drawn to others. Markus never told me about his power when it popped up, but I knew. And after that, I started noticing the way things would move when he got worked up. It's why I ended our _relationship_. I have a tendency to aggravate people, him not excluded. I figured it was safer for everyone if I kept our interaction minimal."

Naru hummed and said nothing, staring at Ash instead. Mai supposed he determined she was telling the truth before he continued. "Why would he want to kill his team? Is Deittman involved?"

Ash shrugged and looked down, sipping from her cup. "No idea. He's always been good at hiding his thoughts and emotions. Who knows what set him off. I know he's had some trouble with Deittman and his and Isabella's pay for these trips, but that's about it."

"And Isabella? Could she be involved?"

"I don't know. I honestly don't think Isabella has it in her to hurt anything. Hell, I've seen her save spiders. But she's also entirely reliant on Markus. They're… inseperable. It's hard for me to imagine that she was away from him long enough for him to sneak off to…" Ash didn't finish. She shook her head and reached in her pocket, pulling out her pack of cigarettes and lighter. She didn't ask if anyone minded before she lit up, filling the SPR room with smoke.

Mai didn't mind. Seeing red glow at the end was actually somewhat comforting.

"So," Naru said and leaned forward a bit in his seat. "We're trapped on an island, sequestered in one room, with a murderous telekinetic and his possible accomplice. We have no way to call out for help, and we have approximately twenty-one hours before our boat out arrives. I believe I can safely say this is the worst situation I have ever found myself in."

Mai looked over at Naru, thinking perhaps he was trying to make a joke. He wasn't. He was completely serious.

Ash took a long drag from her cigarette and then puffed out the smoke. "Well, there's one way to call for help. Of course, it would require someone to get into Deittman's room."

000

 _Author's Notes: I know… probably not as dramatic as I would have liked. Hopefully you guys aren't losing interest now! Also, if anyone checked out the tumbl r page, you may have seen the image I used for Markus. Honestly, the fact I chose that was sort of a dead giveaway. It's Johan from the series 'Monster' (which I absolutely adore, by the way.) I mean… I chose a psychopathic killer as a base for a psychopathic killer._

 _Also, I am reminded of something I saw floating around the internet regarding Ghost Hunt (I had already started writing this before I read it), it was something along the lines of "I want to read a story where it isn't ghosts. Like Scooby Doo—the mystery is actually John Peters, you know, the farmer." (Okay, so I may have mixed fandoms there a bit.) While there is a supernatural influence, I wanted the killer to be one of the group, and not just ghosts. My husband says all the time when we go ghost hunting—it isn't ghosts that scare him, it's the possibility of a psycho breaking in while we're alone in a place and killing us. So viola. Story._

 _If you're having trouble connecting the dots, which, honestly, I don't blame you, some aspects were very subtle... I will probably get onto the tumblr at some point and work through the evidence to show how he did what he did, and probably why he did it. I may reveal why he did it in the epilogue, but it depends on which direction I go (and who survives... I am debating still...)_

 _MistressSleepwell66: haha, yes, it's somewhat difficult to have attachments to characters you saw so little. But, Mai had very little interaction with them, so we just didn't see them too much! I had plans for them originally, but it just didn't fit with the flow of the story. Father Grunwald actually has a pretty good reason for not being there. It's also something that will be left for the epilogue, but it involves a headcannon with John so I can't add that in at the moment... I have considered the possibility of Mai taking in the fire spirit, but it really would doom her to a short life and change her in a not so good way... I have a plan to reveal more about Ash, but it will probably happen as an entry on the tumblr page... Thanks so much for your review! I'm glad that you're formulating some really good thoughts about the story! Makes me feel like I'm doing my job =)_

 _Vella: I try to update quickly, but I'm afraid I may be going down to once a week until I can write the ending chapters... As for the murder mysteries- I write them for fun though would love to do it professionally! I have about 20 friends who chip in to cover the cost of me hosting. I come up with an over all story, enough characters to fit the attendees, write out character descriptions, then Act I information and Act II. Attendees get their characters about a month ahead of time so they have time to prepare. I decorate for the theme, come up with prizes for best actor/dressed/super sleuth, and props such as evidence. It's a ton of fun! As for THIS mystery... I think I've set it in a way that wouldn't have readers guessing the killer right away (because they don't have the motive,) but I have it lined up that the reader could go back and see how the pieces were falling together once they knew who the killer was (though some people were totally guessing it!) Mostly, I hate when you're watching/reading something, and you know who the killer is, and you want to shake the main characters for not figuring it out. I wanted the readers to not really know until Mai did, though they could formulate speculations if they were suspicious! Mai just isn't. So she didn't start speculating. Beyond Deittman, that is. Everyone in story would have likely blamed Deittman! I hope you won't be let down by the end! But thank you, thank you, thank you, as always, for your great review!_

 _Kikifan: I will say, though with this chapter, I show that it is Markus I'm naming as the killer, I can tell you that probably not everyone is sure it's only him. And it will certainly come into play a bit later! Perhaps Markus's interest in Mai will save her? Or maybe it will make her more of a target... Whoooooo knows? As for the fire demon... it will likely not be revisited in the story... But it is something I may add into the post-story breakdown on the tumblr page! Thank you for your review!_

 _(I am not trying to pimp the tumblr page, I promise! I just do want to do a thorough breakdown so that those who feel like they might have missed something by the end can double check without re-reading everything (kinda like when there's a new Slenderman video uploaded. Why try to read into it super far when you can just find a webpage that's already figured it out?). I just can't do that on )_

 _Thanks for reading!_

 _Ever Your Servant,_

 _A.F_


	30. Chapter 30

Ciao Poveglia

Rated: T

Shibuya Psychic Research receives a special invitation to a 'psychic summit' being hosted at the infamously haunted Poveglia island. Though crossing half the globe with his team is not ideal, Naru simply cannot pass up the chance to get into the normally locked down location. [Rated T, possibly M for gore later.]

000

 **Day 56, Hour 12:02**

As much as they wanted to go as a group, it simply wasn't an option. Yasuhara and Masako were still unconscious and couldn't be moved easily. Because of this, only Lin and Ash were sent out to scope out Deittman's room. Naru and Monk were confident enough that they could hold off Markus on their own, but only if it came to it. If someone were to be attacked while separated from the rest, it was preferably one of the other two with active abilities.

 _"Don't worry, I won't keep him away too long,"_ Ash had said with a wave, _"I know the case with the radio in it. Unfortunately, so does Markus. Hopefully we get to it first."_

 _"Don't come looking for us,"_ Lin added _, "if we don't return, don't try to find us. Make getting everyone off the island your top priority."_ Mai had sworn that Lin's eyes had flickered over to her.

Naru nodded. _"It already is."_

But that was over an hour ago. Actually, it was almost two hours since they had left, Mai realized after looking at her wrist watch again. Time seemed to be moving quickly now that her anxiety was through the roof. She sighed and slumped in her chair. This waiting game was awful: waiting for Ash and Lin, waiting for their boat off the island, waiting for Markus to come back and kill them…

"It's not your fault."

Mai twisted in her chair to look behind her at Naru. "What?"

He had managed to fix one of the cameras that had been recording outside of the Poveglia buildings. The backup battery probably wouldn't last two long, but going through the footage gave Naru something to do. Mai was envious that he had something to distract him. "You couldn't have known about Markus. It's obvious that the people who knew him didn't _really_ know him."

"I know… But… I'm supposed to have this great sense of self preservation. I should have sensed the danger. You know. Like a wild animal." She added the last part on a bit dryly, recalling what Naru originally said about her latent psychic abilities.

Naru let out a frustrated sigh and shut the camera's screen. Mai had caught a glimpse of it. The screen had been cracked so Naru probably hadn't even been able to see too much on it. If the generator were working, he may have been able to hook it up to one of the salvaged monitors, but since it wasn't, there wasn't anything more he could do about it.

"I theorize that you were not in any danger."

Mai's eyebrows shot upwards. "I wasn't in any danger from the psychotic, psychic killer? How do you figure?"

Naru turned around so that he was looking straight at her. He looked tired, though he was trying to hide it. As much as he tried to appear active and alert, even he couldn't fight the discoloration appearing beneath his eyes.

"I believe he went after those who were threats to him first," Naru replied, "Desdemona could have touched something at one of the other crime scenes and discovered the true killer, therefore, she had to go first. The Americans had protection from psychic and spiritual attacks. If they teamed up against him, there's a chance they could have subdued him. I would venture a guess and say that he sabotaged the backup generator just before Isabella's display because he was alone and had the opportunity, and because he knew in the chaos of the moment, he could run out and chase after an imagined phantom. We have no one else who can tell us what Isabella wrote, so I believe he planted the idea of the Doctor in our minds to throw us off if he were caught."

"So you think he knew that it would be the Americans who would have to go check on the generator? What if one of us had gone too?" Mai asked and shifted so that she could sit sideways in the chair, one leg curled under her, and put her arms over the back of the canvas chair. For all she knew, Naru was only even explaining all of this to humor her. Still, it was nice to have a conversation with Naru where he wasn't calling her stupid.

"It wouldn't have been hard for him to anticipate the Americans going alone. They were the only ones who had experience with the generator, and with my level of distrust, he could have assumed I wouldn't allow anyone from my team to go off in the dark with them," Naru answered.

Mai nodded. "That is true. You didn't really hide your paranoia."

"It's not paranoia when it's true."

"Fair enough. What about Ayako? Why did he go after her?" Mai asked. She glanced over at the woman, who was curled up on a cot with Monk. They had been whispering for a while, but it appeared that she had dozed off, and Monk was content to just sit quietly, lost in his thoughts.

"She's our medic. Taking out the only person with emergency care knowledge makes his job easier. There's no one to patch us up then, and it's easier to hunt injured prey."

Prey. That's all they really were while stuck on Poveglia, after all.

 **Day 56, Hour 12:21**

Mai had been sitting on the ground, going through her luggage to cram everything of value to her into a smaller bag. She figured that if they needed to flee the island, they may not have the chance to take their luggage with them. She wasn't the sort of person to get attached to material items. Sure, she would hate to leave behind some of her best outfits, but it wasn't something she would risk her life over. So, she crammed her electronics, her identification, her keys, and whatever else she could into her one small bag.

Mai was just clasping her bag shut when there was banging at the door.

 _"Oliver, open the door,"_ said a breathless Lin from the other side, " _he's on our tail."_

Naru and John were on their feet in an instant, running to the door to remove everything they had used to barricade it. Mai followed after, helping to clear the way. As soon as there was enough space, the door was pushed open further by Lin, who dove in to make space for Ash. The woman had just put one foot in the room when she was jolted backwards, like someone had grabbed her by the waist and pulled. She managed to catch onto the door frame with her right hand, but only barely.

Reflexively, Mai threw herself forward and grabbed onto Ash. She pulled with all of her might, but there was another jolt, and both women flew into the hallway, smacking against the wall. The boys were quick to follow, creating a barrier between both Mai and Ash—Ash, who Mai noticed, was bleeding.

But Mai had only a moment to notice the blood smeared on the woman's face, neck, and hands. A moment later, she felt her eyes growing heavy and her vision blurring. "No, no, no, not now," Mai muttered, her body swaying until she slid down the wall. The next thing she knew, she was standing just outside of the circle of people, watching as Naru dragged her body back into the room and Lin whistled for his familiars to go after the man in the plague doctor mask at the end of the hallway.

 _"No, Naru! Stop! If you take me back in then—"_

 _Slam._

The door was shut. The wards were up and active, and there was no way for Mai to get back into the SPR base. Instead, she was stuck in the hallway, watching as Markus slowly approached. She thought that maybe he could see her, but when he stopped, just in front of her, she realized that he could not. He only walked to the door, touching the wood.

Nothing else happened. Perhaps that frustrated him, because he let out a growl and then hit the wood and turned away. Once he faced the wall, Markus crouched down and pulled off his mask. He reached out and grazed his fingers against the stone. When he pulled his hand away, she saw that he had wiped up some of the blood that was left behind from Ash.

And he smiled.

It wasn't one of the quick smiles she had seen before. No, it was more devious, one that matched the rest of his almost vampiric appearance. He was definitely the hunter, and they were definitely the prey.

Mai stared at the door and then looked back at Markus, who was already turning to walk away. He was heading towards the steps which would eventually lead outside. She couldn't get back into the base while the wards was up, and she didn't know how long it would take the group to realize that she had projected. At least her body would be protected for as long as it was inside the spiritual barrier…

And with that, she made up her mind. Mai willed herself forward, floating off in the direction Markus had headed in. At the very least, she may be able to discover where he was hiding and what he was doing. Naru would probably be angry with her for taking such a risk, wandering away from her body, but if she could ultimately provide information that could help protect everyone, she would do it. She hadn't been able to do much, up until this point, and she hated feeling useless.

She had quickly lost Markus. He was heading somewhere with purpose, and rapidly moving through the hallways. Mai sighed to herself and prepared to turn back when a figure walked out from around the corner. Mai wasn't at all surprised to recognize the figure as the little girl who had continuously made appearances on the island.

 _"I wish I could communicate with you,"_ Mai sighed to herself, staring at the little girl. She knelt down and the girl approached her. Mai placed a hand to her own chest and said, _"Mai. My name is Mai."_ Then she pointed to the little girl.

The girl tilted her head to the side, as if trying to figure out what Mai was saying. Mai was starting to think it was useless when the girl responded. _"Sofia."_

Mai smiled brightly. " _Nice to meet you Sofia. Do you have something to show me?"_

Though they may not have been able to speak to one another very well, it was progress. The little girl reached out her hand, seemingly wanting Mai to take it. Mai hesitated, primarily because the girl was burned and had rather unappealing boils on her body. But, after a moment, she reached out and took the girl's hand. Surely she couldn't catch anything in spiritual form, right?

The moment they made contact, there was a bright flash, which temporarily blinded Mai. When the white light faded, she found that they were standing outside, just in front of the bell tower.

" _It looks like you have another spirit guide."_

Mai jumped at the sound of a voice just a step behind her. She turned around quickly, still holding onto the girl's hand, and saw Gene staring back at her. _"You scared me! Don't do that!"_

 _"You're already in spirit form, what more could scare you?"_ Gene smiled, though he looked sad. Perhaps disappointed. _"You should get back to your body. If the other's take down the wards and you're not there, you risk a spirit jumping inside. It may be difficult to make it leave once it's settled. The spirits here are very powerful."_

The little girl spoke, catching Mai's attention.

 _"She says the Doctor's coming."_

" _You speak Venetian?"_ Mai asked, raising a brow. Gene shrugged.

 _"Not particularly well. I know some Italian, it's not too hard to figure it out from there. I am—or was—a genius after all."_

 _"Careful, you're chanelling some Naru there,"_ Mai replied dryly. Gene continued to smile.

 _"Well, we are still twins. Anyhow, Mai, you really need to get back. You can't afford to stay away,"_ Gene said.

Mai shook her head. _"I have to wait, at least a little bit longer. Sofia here clearly has something to show me. She's been trying to help since we got here, I think. I can't ignore her now."_

 _"Fine,"_ Gene said with a sigh, sounding again very Naru-like, _"but promise you'll leave if I tell you to? For your own safety."_

Mai nodded. There was a pause before she looked back over at him, her eyes narrowed. _"Speaking of my own safety…. Why have you been hopping into my body without telling me."_

Gene looked away. He appeared to be thinking about his words, which really didn't make Mai feel any better. If it was something he had to think about, it probably meant that he wasn't about to tell her the entire truth. _"It's my brother. I've been trying to relay a message with him, since our own connection was severed. I can't…. I can't quite move on. It's not that I don't want to—I do. There's just a small piece that's keeping me here. And until it's been resolved, I can't fully step off the spirit plane. I think, I hope, things will work out. So long as neither of you end up_ _ **joining**_ _me on the spirit plane, that is."_

So Gene was worried too. Usually, he was very consoling and considerate. But he was worried that they wouldn't survive the remaining nineteen-some hours on the island. Mai simply nodded. She didn't know what else to say.

 _"Don't give up on him, okay?"_ Gene said after she remained silent. _"For how smart he is, he can be a complete idiot. I think being on this island, being truly afraid—for himself and for others—has taught him some valuable lessons. So… don't give up. Not yet."_

Mai opened her mouth to speak, but didn't have a chance to say anything. There was a crashing from above them. Bricks from the top of the Bell Tower flew to the ground. Mai let go of the girl's hand to cover her own head out of instinct, but the solid masses had no effect on her spiritual body. Still, she stepped backwards quickly to look up, trying to get a better look.

"No, no, please, stop this!" Someone shouted from the top of the tower. She recognized the voice of Deittman. His body came into view as he backed up towards the newly created opening in the previously sealed off tower. He continued to protest, but then there was nothing but a blood curling scream as he was shoved out of the tower with such force, that he flew backwards a few feet before he started his descent.

Mai couldn't look away. Gene jumped in front of her just a moment before Deittman's body hit the ground, mere yards away from where she stood.

 _"Don't look, Mai,"_ Gene said, sounding just like Naru, _"don't look. Close your eyes. Start running. Get back to your body. Now."_

She didn't need to be told twice. She squeezed her eyes shut and turned in the direction she knew she had to move. She ran until she knew the tower and the body were out of her sight before opening them and sprinting off towards the building housing the SPR base. She hoped that they had realized by now that she was out of her body. She needed to tell them what had happened.

000

 _Author's notes: I don't know why, but it just took me a while to get this chapter done. It's a tad bit longer than most of the others, but really, I just felt… uninspired. It's likely because we're hitting the end of the story and I have a serious problem finishing things. I don't like things to end, so I will leave things hanging (I'll stop a video game before the final boss, I will watch an entire series and leave the last episodes hanging, I will start a story, get 30 chapters in, and then just… stop.) Please don't like Ciao Poveglia fall victim to my condition!_

 _Ghost Loves Japan 77: the reveal for "why"- for the motives of Markus- are somewhat complicated and may not be revealed in this actual story. It's more likely that it will happen as part of the epilogue posted on the tumblr! Not positive on that though... Hope you're still enjoying it! Thanks for your review!_

 _Oxybry: If you do not catch all of the clues, don't feel too bad. Some were rather subtle- which is why I will definitely post an explanation after! I am glad that you do not mind the 'Scooby Doo' aspect mixed in with the supernatural! I was worried about that. Thank you for reviewing!_

 _peaches-xenon: you know... the idea of Mai projecting to retrieve an object actually didn't even cross my mind... Now I wish I had thought of it! That would have been a good idea! Thank you for your review!_

 _guest: You may have been one of the only people rooting for Mai x Markus! Though it has always been Mai x Naru, I did want Markus to come off as a possibility, so I'm glad the idea appealed to you enough throughout the story! Thank you so much for your kind words-I am relieved that people do, in the end, like the Mai and Naru moments. I did worry that it wouldn't be enough (I don't normally write a lot of romance, and I want to try to make it realistic.) Thank you for your review!_

 _NikZkinE: I hope you're still enjoying it! Thank you for your review!_

 _HiddenAngel16: Awww thank you! Your review made me smile =) I'm glad I didn't make it super obvious-sometimes I worried that I made him too suspicious! I hope you'll stick with the story until the end!_

 _Thanks for reading, everyone!_

 _Ever Your Servant,_

 _A.F_


	31. Chapter 31

Ciao Poveglia

Rated: T

Shibuya Psychic Research receives a special invitation to a 'psychic summit' being hosted at the infamously haunted Poveglia island. Though crossing half the globe with his team is not ideal, Naru simply cannot pass up the chance to get into the normally locked down location. [Rated T, possibly M for gore later.]

000

 **Day 56, Hour 12:59**

As Mai ran back to the SPR base as quickly as she could, she felt a warmth starting spread through her body. He started at her hands, much like it did the night in the Bell Tower. She figured that Naru was trying to anchor her back to her body. On the upside, at least the others had figured out that she had left her body (albeit unwillingly.) On the downside, however, the warmth quickly turned into a burning sensation the longer it went on without her returning to her body. Though Mai continued to move her legs at the same pace, her surroundings began to blur as her spirit form was _pulled_ to her body.

When she arrived at the room, she was practically sucked inside. There were no wards to stop her—the others must have pulled them down so that she could pass through. As much as it was as a relief, her attitude rapidly turned to fear. There was another spirit in the room, and it was trying to get into her unoccupied body.

It was a male figure, Mai supposed, though it was very hard to tell with its extreme disfigurement. It was a grotesque creature that may have been human at one point, but it was now nothing more than an angry, twisted spirit. It looked up at Mai's spirit as she came to a stop just a few feet away from her body, and it snarled at her. For a moment, it looked like it may try to dive at her. However, it did not. It looked down at her body and touched it.

There was a bright flash, stemming from Naru's hands. It seemed that no one else saw it, leading Mai to believe it was a burst of spiritual energy. Whether he knew what he was doing or not, Naru was keeping the lurking spirit from entering a body it did not belong in.

Mai took a step forward. The man-thing turned back and blocked her, snarling and shrieking once more. Its limbs were just a bit too long for its body, and its fingers somewhat extended as well. Its skin color was a fleshy tone, but one that looked sickly or even corpse-like. Its eyes were nothing more than hollow holes, and looking into them had Mai frozen in her spot in fear.

 _This is it. This is how it ends. I'm either going to be devoured by a half-century old spirit or I'll be permanently blocked from my body. I should have listened to Gene. I should have come straight back here. I never should have left in a place as dangerous as this._

The creature turned away and resumed its attempt to get into Mai's body. She looked on, frozen in her spot, aware only vaguely of the burning that was working its way up her hands and arms. Each time the creature attempted, Naru's spiritual energy flared to life, warding the creature back. However it did not stop the creature, it only frustrated it further.

It howled in irritation and looked about the room at the other SPR members filling it. Monk and John stood closest, watching Naru and Mai's body with worry on their faces. Ayako glanced over every few seconds before returning to her care of Ash (who now looked like a bandaged mess.) Lin was holding a compress to the side of his head and watching Naru from behind Naru's back.

John and Masako were still laying on their cots, unconscious.

The creature's attention turned to Masako. It seemed to sniff the air before releasing another sickening noise—this sound, however, seemed almost…. Happy. It took one step, and then another, leaving Mai's path to her body clear. Knowing that she would probably have only moments to warn the others, Mai's legs sprang into action and she dove at her body, hoping that Naru's connection was enough to bring her back to consciousness at will.

It wasn't until her eyes fluttered open and she found herself lying in Naru's lap that she realized it had worked and that she had returned to her body. She sat up quickly, only to fall back almost instantly. The room was spinning and she felt like she was going to be sick. Still, Mai managed to get a few words out. "Masako—possession?"

"Mai, don't try to move," Naru responded, ignoring her words, "your body was empty for far too long. It may—"

" _Masako_ ," Mai repeated and pulled away from Naru, trying to crawl towards the unconscious woman. She barely managed to move two feet before Masako's body started to move—and in a way that wasn't natural to a human.

Her body lifted up, starting with her chest, as if something had grabbed her and pulled her forward, and her arms hung limply at her sides. John turned on his heel and hurried to her side, but by the time he had, her body had dropped back down, bouncing roughly off the thin mattress. There was absolute quiet in the room for all of three seconds before Masako's eyes shot open and her mouth went wide, letting out a noise that sounded as if it were straight from the pits of Hell itself.

John reached out to try to grab Masako and hold her in place, but her arm shot out and threw him back with more force than possible for her small body. John flew backwards and fell to the ground, but not hard enough to cause any serious damage.

'Masako' twisted herself free from the blankets and then staggered into a standing position Watching her move was like watching someone poorly control a puppet. Her movements were jerky and ill placed. They had purpose, but seemed uncoordinated. As Mai looked at her teammate, all she could picture was the horrible creature wearing Masako's body as its skin.

Masako's eyes… they were hers, as if to show that she was still there, somewhere buried beneath an evil presence. But they weren't… right. Mai couldn't say exactly why, but the eyes staring back at her just weren't human.

And then Mai realized that the eyes _were_ staring back at her. At her and no one else in the room.

She felt arms wrap around her waist and torso while she stared up at the Masko-creature, and she flailed a bit in fear whenever they pulled. Naru had grabbed her and hoisted her back, just as the possessed medium lunched as Mai. Together, Naru and Mai stumbled backwards and hit the ground. Naru rolled Mai onto her stomach and covered her with his body, protecting her as the Masako-creature lunged again. Mai felt crushed beneath the weight of Naru and Masako combined.

The thing in Masako's body pulled at Naru's limbs, trying to remove him from Mai. Around her, Mai could hear thudding footsteps as everyone else dove into action.

Mai could hear Lin grunting and groaning as he tried to remove the small woman from Naru's back. Mai wasn't surprised that he was having problems. Between Masako's flailing arms and her newly found weight and force, even Lin couldn't subdue the woman. Another inhumane snarl came from Masako's mouth as she-it pushed him from her body. Monk was up next. He grabbed Masako and started chanting.

This seemed to have some effect, though not much. For a few seconds, it seemed like perhaps Monk may have been on the road to weakening the creature inside Masako, but it summoned its strength forward and brought its elbows down, hitting Monk in the stomach. He crumbled in pain, the force of the blow possibly doing serious damage.

The attack on Naru resumed. Mai could hear ripping Masako seemed to tear through the fabric on Naru's back. Maybe she tore through more than just the fabric, based on the sudden chock of pain Mai heard come from Naru. Still, his hold on her did not waiver. If anything, it tightened to the point where she felt she could hardly breathe.

Lin whistled, calling forth his familiars. Mai couldn't see what he did, but she could hear Ash respond.

"If you use them on her, you'll kill her," Ash warned, "the force of familiars passing through a sensitive medium would be too much."

"What other choice do we have?" Lin snapped back.

"I've got this, stand back," John said quickly. Mai heard him speak, but the words that came from him were words she didn't understand. They weren't English—they were Latin. She hadn't ever heard John pull out the Church-Latin during an exorcism. She supposed that he needed something more powerful to separate the evil intruder from its medium host.

 _"Exorcizo te, omnis spiritus immunde, in domie Dei Patris…"_

The words continued on. As they did, the Masako-creature howled but remained seated partially on Naru's back. Even from Mai's sheltered position, she could feel the energy pick up in the room. There was no wind or anything that caused a physical disturbance, unlike the fiery creature they had seen the night before. It was just…. Energy. It like lightning was getting ready to strike.

Mai's body hurt from being pushed down on the hard ground at such an angle, and it was getting harder for her to breathe. She was sure that she was starting to see spots before her eyes as well. She tried to whisper Naru's name, but between John's chanting, the Masako-creature's howling, and Naru's own sounds of pain, he probably didn't even hear her. Just as she thought she was starting to move in and out of consciousness, the inhuman sounds stopped and the heaviness on Naru lifted. Mai felt the thud, so knew that Masako's body had collapsed onto Naru's, but it seemed whatever strange weight had been present had disappeared.

"Monk, cleanse the room, Ayako, start getting the wards back up," Lin ordered, indicating that the brief encounter.

"But Naru—"

"We have to seal off this room _now_ ," Lin snapped, cutting off the rest of Ayako's words. The woman nodded and retrieved the wards that were sitting in a neat pile on one of the equipment tables.

Masako was moved off of Naru very carefully. John and Lin moved her back over to the bed she had been laying in previously and set her down. Once she was situated, Lin hurried back and awkwardly helped to lift Naru. He was awake and capable of moving on his own, of course, but it seemed that Lin was trying to make sure he only moved in certain directions.

"We'll need to whip Masako down before she wakes up," John said, helping with Naru as well. It took Mai a few moments to flip over and sit up with a groan. When she did, she gasped loudly and understood exactly what John had meant.

Naru's back was in ribbons. It was the only way Mai could describe it. His high quality, black jacket and button down shirt were in shreds. Where there should have been porcelain white skin showing, there was red.

Mai glanced over at Masako and saw that her arms were dangling off the sides of the cot, her red fingertips nearly grazing the ground.

Though the twisted spirit creature had been exorcised from Masako, the intense energy remained. It was like the room started spinning. Monk's chanting caused a ringing in Mai's ear and made her skin crawl, like nails on a chalkboard. Ayako's whispered prayers sounded like shouts with unspoken cries for help as the woman replaced the wards on the door leading out into the hallway. Naru's hissing caused Mai to feel an extreme sense of guilt as John and Lin worked to slowly pull of Naru's jacket and shirt. However not a single one of those sounds resonated with her as much as the slow dripping of Naru's blood from Masako's fingertips.

Mai sat back and put her head in her hands.

 _This was her fault._

000

 _Author's Notes: yes, back to a bit of a short chapter, I know. However this was where I wanted to cut it before a short time jump. I wasn't originally going to go in this direction, but Gene did try to warn Mai that there were others trying to hop into her body. I also wanted to illustrate that though their main enemy is a person, they can't forget the danger that the island poses to them as well. And finally, this sets up for the confrontation I've been planning on since the beginning between Mai and Masako. (I do apologize if it seems like Yasu and Masako have been unconscious for a while—it's tough but remember that it's only be a few hours from chapter to chapter!)_

 _NikZkinE: Thank you for your review! I hope you're enjoying it!_

 _Vella: it is difficult, but I have a good group who are all pretty dedicated =). Thank you for your motivating words. It really does help, knowing that I am not the only one who hits this problem as the end approaches. I'm trying really hard to get this last bit knocked out so that people don't become bored between chapters! I'm hoping to get another posted before Christmas, but I have to make sure I get the chapter after that one finished as well… Well, anyhow, as always, your reviews are so, so appreciated! Thank you!_

 _MissKiku: I am to leave each chapter off in an interesting note so that people want to keep comingback… glad it's working! More will be revealed about Deittman in the epilogue, I think, since he's now out of the picture! Thank you for your review! Hope you'll stick with me until the end!_

 _Thanks for reading, everyone!_

 _Ever Your Servant,_

 _A.F_


	32. Chapter 32

Ciao Poveglia

Rated: T

Shibuya Psychic Research receives a special invitation to a 'psychic summit' being hosted at the infamously haunted Poveglia island. Though crossing half the globe with his team is not ideal, Naru simply cannot pass up the chance to get into the normally locked down location. [Rated T, possibly M for gore later.]

000

 **Day 56, Hour 14:19**

It took over an hour before everyone had calmed enough to sit down and re-group their thoughts. Mai did whatever she could to help, though she had been mostly useless in her own weak state. The most she had really managed to do was to wash down Masako's hands before the young woman had a chance to awaken. There were bits of blood on her kimono sleeves, but Mai knew that she would only make it worse if she tried to dab at the red flecks.

Masako did not waken by the time they started to sit and exchange information, though Yasuhara did start to come in and out of consciousness. The blow to the head would need medical attention as soon as they could get off the island.

"We went to Deittman's room," Lin started, staring over at Naru.

Naru was laying on one of the cots, face down, while Ayako finished bandaging his wounds. They didn't look so bad now that they had been cleaned with whatever water they could spare, but someone wasn't likely to believe the cuts were made by nails. It looked more like an animal had mangled his back. "And?" Naru responded, his voice dripping in irritation. Mai supposed she would have been irritable too, if she were in his position.

She nearly _was_ in his position, come to think of it. It would have been her laying there being bandaged if not for him. Maybe it would have been even worse.

"The door was locked and the light was on. We thought he was in there. When we forced the door open, he was waiting for us," Lin replied.

"Deittman?"

"No," Ash said with a sigh. She shifted with a scowl, wincing as she placed a hand at her side, "Markus. I guess he figured we would go looking for Deittman next and tried to get the jump on us. I guess he didn't _try_. He _did._ "

"He tried to separate us," Lin continued, taking his eyes off of Naru to look around at everyone else. "Tried to keep me from getting into the room. I forced my way in."

"He managed to throw me around the room like a rag doll in the meantime." Ash reached down to the bottle next to her and took a swig of the whiskey inside of it. They didn't have many painkillers left, and now both Naru and John needed them as well. Ash was more than happy to turn to the bottle over the weak pills anyhow, it seemed.

Ayako said that the other woman likely had bruised ribs, maybe even one or two were cracked. She had a hairline fracture on her temple and a few gashes on her body. Ash _looked_ like she had bashed against a few walls.

"I should have gone in first. If he had seen me first, then maybe—"

"—then you would be dead," Ash finished, rolling her eyes at Lin's sense of guilt. "He only toyed with me because we have a history and he wanted me to suffer. He probably would have killed you on sight. Hell, you're lucky there wasn't anything sharp nearby when you tackled him. Which, by the way, thanks for that. Saving me and all. But still, you're lucky. Anyhow, he had files."

"What files?" Naru asked. Ash shrugged and shook her head.

"There were numerous files in an accordion folder marked with a serial number," Lin responded. "I didn't see what any of them were labeled, but Markus dropped a few when I tackled him. Theoretically, we could go back and see what was dropped, but I wouldn't recommend it. I don't think we should leave the room at all unless we absolutely have to. Ideally, we'll stay here until the boat comes."

"That's all well and good," Naru said, wincing as Ayako lightly pressed on one of the bandages on Naru's back. "But where's Deittman?"

"Dead," Mai whispered, drawing everyone's attention over to her. She was sitting on the floor, back to the wall, with her legs drawn up tightly against her chest. She had sat there for most of the time, trying to stay out of everyone's way as they ran about cleansing and sealing the room, and taking care of the wounded.

"What do you know, Mai?" Naru asked immediately. It was some what a relief to Mai that he didn't bother beating around the bush. He asked her directly to share what she knew.

"While I projected, I saw him. He was at the Bell Tower. You know how it was sealed up with all of the bricks? It isn't anymore. Markus managed to blow one of the brick walls out entirely. Deittman was at the top, begging Markus to let him go. He didn't. Markus threw Deittman out of the window. He's definitely dead."

"Did you see…?" Monk started to ask, his eyes wide with shock.

Mai shook her head. "No. I didn't… see. I just heard. If we were to go look, we might find his body. We would find some sign that he hit the ground, at the very least."

There was silence after she spoke. It wasn't as if anyone doubted Mai's story, but someone had validated that the other victims were dead. Unless they went to go check, no one could say for one-hundred percent certainty that he was dead. Mai hoped he was dead. Otherwise, he could be lying on the ground, clinging to life in agony. That was almost certainly worse than death.

"He couldn't touch the door," Mai finally said when no one else spoke up. "Markus. I mean, he could _touch_ it, but he couldn't try to break it down. He seemed annoyed. I think the wards are keeping his psychic abilities from penetrating the room."

"Then we're safe," Monk said with a sigh as he stood up to check the wards one more time. "At least…. For now."

 **Day 56, Hour 17:49**

By the time that Masako awoke, darkness was starting to fall upon them once more. Though they should have had an hour or two of sunlight, it seemed that another storm was rolling in. Storms weren't uncommon for that time of year—perhaps that was why Deittman chose it in the first place. As the clouds started covering the sky, the SPR team rushed to turn on whatever flashlights they still had so that they wouldn't be left in total blackness.

Ayako, Monk, and Lin were the Deittman's base. It had been decided that they would go down and ward the other door as well, if only to put another room of safety between them and Markus. John helped Ash limp down the stairs so that they could retrieve the candles that were left behind from Isabella's display and to check one last time for any other supplies. They were running out of food, water, and batteries, and they still had to manage to get through another fifteen hours.

Naru was asleep, still lying on his stomach and still shirtless. Yasuhara was awake, though he hadn't said much to anyone. His glasses were broken and complained that he was practically blind—apparently that was worse than dealing with the rest of his injuries.

Mai was alerted to Masako's awakening when she heard soft sobs coming from Masako's cot. She jumped up, grabbing one of the last unopened bottles of water, and hurried to her side. "Hey, hey, don't try to move too much. How are you feeling? Do you need anything?"

Masako's arm reached out quickly to swat Mai's away. She gave a choked sob and turned away as she sat up. "Leave me alone."

"Masako, I just want to make sure you're okay—"

"Why do you care?"

Mai opened her mouth to respond then stopped, furrowing her brow and tilting her head to the side. "Er, what?"

"You just—just make me so angry." Masako still wouldn't look at Mai. Instead, she brought her sleeve to her face, but then made an odd noise whenever she found the blood on it.

"Well, that's okay," Mai replied, stumbling over her words. "I make a lot of people angry. I don't blame you. I'll leave this here. You don't have to talk to me." She set the bottle of water on the cot, next to Masako's leg. She turned to walk away, not that there was really anywhere else for her to go.

"Mai, wait," Masako said. Mai stopped and looked over her shoulder. Masako sniffed twice before continuing. "I'm sorry."

"Don't worry about it. You had a terrible experience, you're allowed to be upset—"

"Not that. For attacking you… Well, you and Naru."

Mai realized that Masako meant while she was possessed. She was actually surprised that Masako remembered. Most accounts that she read said that people didn't remember what happened. Most people felt like they had been asleep. But then again, most people weren't extremely powerful mediums either.

"It wasn't your fault. I'm fine. Naru… I'm sure he'll be fine. You know he won't hold it against you," Mai responded and faced Masako fully, giving the other young woman a comforting smile.

But Masako didn't look comforted. If anything, her eyes looked… empty. "You don't understand," Masako whispered. "I let it attack you. I didn't even try to stop it."

"Masako, I don't think you _could_ have stopped it. That—that _thing_ was strong. It was a good thing John was here to quickly exorcise it before it could get a firm hold on you."

Masako stared straight down. Though she was looking at the water bottle, she wasn't really seeing it. Mai thought that perhaps she was replaying the incident over in her mind, though Mai couldn't figure why she would want to. She would be better off burying it down and forgetting it even happened.

"It wanted you. It didn't even want me. It wanted you. Perhaps it's because some of the other spirits on the island have tried manifesting for you. Your connection is stronger than mine. When it couldn't have you… I just let it. All of the anger I've been holding onto…"

Mai frowned and clenched her jaw. "Did I… Did I do something? Masako, if I did, I didn't mean to. I thought we were on good terms. I didn't try to make you angry, I didn't—"

"Don't you think I know that?" It sounded like Masako was ready to cry. She buried her head into her hands and sobbed. "I just don't understand. Why is it always you? What makes you the special one? If he rejected you, why does he still only look at you? Why don't I stand a chance?"

Mai sighed and her shoulders slumped. "We aren't talking about the spirit now, are we?"

Masako only sobbed in response. Mai shook her head and reached down, moving the water bottle. She turned and sat down on the cot, without invitation. Regardless, Masako moved her legs to make room. "I thought you said you were over him."

"I thought I was," Masako whispered, still keeping her head hidden. Mai figured she must have felt at least a little bit of embarrassment, which was why she was keeping her head hidden when she was so obviously crying. "But then he came back and…. And with what you said happened… I just thought… Maybe it was my turn."

Deep down, Mai was a bit annoyed. Maybe a little bit angry. It hurt that Masako thought that she would be able to just swoop in and snatch up Naru. It felt like all of the time Mai and Masako had spent trying to build a legitimate friendship (or at least understanding,) was just a ploy for Mai to feel a sense of security while Masako went behind her back. But then again, Naru had turned her down. Who was she to deny someone else happiness just because she didn't get what she wanted?

But Gene's words hung around in Mai's head.

"I haven't given up on him," Mai said, a sense of finality in her words. "I won't, not yet. Not as long as he stays in Japan. Not until he tells me to leave SPR. You do what you need to do—but you should know, I don't plan on just sitting back and letting it happen."

Mai reached over and squeezed Masako's shoulder. She smiled even though Masako couldn't see it. Maybe Masako could tell she was smiling anyhow because she gave a sort of chocked out laugh. Then she wiped her eyes and looked up at Mai.

"You're really not angry? Even after I was possessed and attacked you?"

Mai shrugged. "Nah. It will be a story to tell in ten years. We'll look back one night, when we're both extremely successful and meeting up to have a glass of wine, and say, _"remember that time you were possessed on Poveglia? Glad **that** never happened again!"_ "

Masako gave a small, sad smile, but it disappeared quickly. Her breath steadied and she wiped her eyes one more time. "I'm scared, Mai. I'm not used to being scared. I see terrifying spirits all of the time, and yet, even after being possessed, they aren't the things scaring me."

Mai's eyes flickered over to Naru, who was still sound asleep across the room. Then she looked down and nodded. "I know. Me too."

000

 _Author's Notes: Well, it didn't go quite as well as I had hoped. I was thinking it would be a more emotional confrontation but I just wasn't feeling writing Masako, unfortunately. However, the reason I added her feelings, if you recall she was being pretty 'meh' earlier in the story, is mostly because I just cannot believe that she would give up on Naru. I feel like she's a bit of an opportunist, and in hearing that Naru shot Mai down, her devious nature would kick in. Don't get me wrong. This isn't Masako hate. I like Masako. I like bitchy characters. I just feel like she's a total Slytherin and wouldn't pass up the chance to try to snag Naru once he turned Mai down._

 _Also…. I can now confirm that the story will be 35 chapters and an epilogue, as well as extra information on the side characters and other miscellaneous info posted to the tumblr! So… we're really approaching the end! Aiming to have it all out by the New Year!_

 _Oxybry: I did remember you asking about Masako, so here it is! Hopefully you don't find it too disappointing. Thank you for your review!_

 _Ghost Loves Japan 77:With each chapter, it's looking less and less likely that they will all make it… Hm…What will happen? The creature that tried to possess Mai was not a demon, but probably on its way to becoming one… It mostly targeted Mai because her body was empty and would have been an easy way in, and then it targeted her specifically once it inhabited Masako because Mai was the only one who had "seen" its true appearance. Uglies like that don't want to be seen! Thank you for your great reviews!_

 _Kikifan21: Markus's motivation has not been explained, but when it IS explained in the epilogue, you may see that there were extremely subtle hints to what his deal is. But don't worry for not knowing it—no one is supposed to yet! I have tried to be very careful about his PK usage because I know that he'll be down if he uses too much, which is why he hasn't gone head to head with Markus or anything like that. I also try to make it spaced out enough so that he can rest in between uses! I have so many unfinished fanfics… but I can now say that this won't be one of them! Thank you sooo much for your wonderful review!_

 _Nollypoo: I'm glad you were suspecting Deittman—whether Mai realized it or not, she was suspecting him too, which is why the clues seem to point to him! As fpr Isabella… you may be onto something, but that won't be revealed for a few more chapters so it could still go either way… I am seriously glad you approve of the way I've written Mai/Naru! I do worry that I'm not giving enough, but I just can't break away from my interpretation of Naru! As for Lin and Ash… Well, I will say that there is more to the two of them than appears, but because Mai didn't see or hear it, she has no idea—and thus, neither does the audience! I did that intentionally so that I didn't take away from the Mai/Naru focus! Thank you so much for your review, I hope you'll stick with me until the end!_

 _Thanks for reading everyone!_

 _Ever Your Servant,_

 _A.F_


	33. Chapter 33

Ciao Poveglia

Rated: T

Shibuya Psychic Research receives a special invitation to a 'psychic summit' being hosted at the infamously haunted Poveglia island. Though crossing half the globe with his team is not ideal, Naru simply cannot pass up the chance to get into the normally locked down location. [Rated T, possibly M for gore later.]

000

 **Day 56, Hour 19:12**

They sat in silence as they ate. There wasn't much to pass around—a few bags of chips, crackers, and some bread. It wasn't as if they were worried about starving. They only had to make it until they could get back to the city. What they _were_ worried about was the possibility of feeling weak and unfocused because they were hungry. It wasn't much of a problem _now_ , but in fourteen hours, when they needed to make a run for the pickup point….

"I swear, when we get home, I am _so done_ with all of this," Ayako hissed, throwing her used medical supplies into a corner with another pile of trash. "No more haunted houses, no more ghost hunting, _no more SPR._ "

"Ayako…" Mai muttered, but she didn't know what else to really say.

"No, Mai. That's it. It should be it for you, too. We should have stopped after the Urado case. Why do we keep putting our lives in danger? Do we value our lives so little? I mean, why do we even answer when _he_ calls. We all know he doesn't care about anyone but himself. Why do we keep helping him?" Ayako jabbed her thumb in Naru's direction.

His eyes may have been closed, but he wasn't asleep. "You all came here of your own accord. I did not make you—I did not even ask. I specifically said it was volunteer only. Don't blame this on me." His voice was cold, but it didn't have much of an edge to it. Mai had the feeling he didn't want to even waste his energy picking a fight with Ayako. It was better just to let her finish her rant.

"The only reason _we_ came," she waved her hand over at Monk, "was because Mai volunteered, and stupidly at that. You shouldn't have ever told her! Of course, you probably _knew_ she'd follow you to the ends of the earth because you're an arrogant, selfish, narcissistic, bast—"

"Ayako!" Both Mai and Monk shouted at the woman and jumped to their feet. Ayako snapped her mouth shut, and then tears welled in her eyes.

"I don't understand how you can still take his side, Mai, after everything he put you through. You're still here." Though she tried to contain it, her voice still cracked as she worked to suppress her sobs. Monk walked over and wrapped his arms around Ayako, letting her cry into his shoulder.

The stress had gotten to her. It had gotten to all of them. But Mai supposed not all of them were in the same position as Ayako. Ayako, after all, was the one that had to stitch them up after each blow they took. She had to see just how deep the wounds went. She knew exactly how much trouble they were in.

But Mai didn't say anything. She didn't want the conversation to continue. She wanted everything to just… go away. So she kept her thoughts to herself. Why was she here? On this awful, god forsaken island? Sure, it had to do with Naru. Of course she would go where he did, if she had the option. But it was more than just that. She had come to Poveglia for herself too—because the paranormal was her passion, and she didn't want to live her life thinking about the 'what ifs.'

Naru didn't say anything either. When Mai looked over at him, she saw that his dark eyes were staring back at her. She couldn't see the blue in the darkness, but she could see the reflection of his pupils. He looked at her for a long moment before closing his eyes and shifting so that his head was facing away from her.

 **Day 56, Hour 20:01**

"Guy, guys, _guys_ ," Yasuhara said excitedly, stopping his game of go fish with John. "Guess. What."

The room groaned. Yasuhara had taken to announcing _very_ loudly each time he managed to get a match. It was driving everyone nuts, but no one wanted to say too much. Besides Ash, Yasuhara was the most injured in the room. Naru's back may have been torn up, but he hadn't taken a blow to the head and he didn't have a burned leg. They figured that Yasuhara was just trying to keep himself distracted.

"I swear to god, if you say you have 'a pair of twos,' or something, I am going to take my sadly empty bottle and bash you over the head with it," Ash said lowly, kicking her bottle to make her point. Though Ash had consumed enough to knock at least both Mai and Naru out, it didn't seem to do much for her. _Practice_ , that was what Ash said.

" _No_ ," Yasu replied with an over dramatic sigh, "well, yes, I do have a pair of twos, and that's really weird that you guessed that, but that's not what I was going to say. I was going to say…. We officially have less than twelve hours until our boat out of here arrives! Yay!"

Another collective groan. Twelve hours was a _long_ time. And that was if the boat wasn't late.

 **Day 56, Hour 24: 58**

"You shouldn't be down here alone."

Mai rolled her eyes and smiled slightly before turning around. Why was he always telling her what she should and shouldn't be doing? "It's warded, right? It should be fine."

" _Should be_ and _is_ , are two different things," Naru replied. Mai turned her flashlight on him and saw that he was buttoning up a fresh shirt. He had done the bottom three and was working on the fourth from the bottom. "Please Mai, feel free to stare away."

There was sarcasm in his voice. Mai raised a brow. "I'm not staring," she said coolly, "I'm waiting to see if you need any help."

"Help?"

"You're hurt. You might need help. Seems pretty obvious to me." Mai crossed her arms, tapping the small light against her forearm, making its beam bounce about.

"Obvious? Please. If anything is obvious, it's that my back may be injured but my arms work completely fine," he said and raised his own brow. He moved onto the next button. There were two left. Not that Mai was counting. "See? You are staring."

Mai gave a _ha_ , and shook her head. She stepped forward until she was within arm's reach of Naru. "Know what I think? _I think_ that if you didn't want someone to stare you would have finished putting on your shirt up in the base. Instead, you waited until you were down here and caught my attention to finish. I think that you just wanted the chance to tease me."

Naru pressed his lips together and shrugged just slightly. It caused Mai to grin widely and smack him on his forearm. "And you aren't even denying it. Wow. You're just a piece of work, Naru."

"Ow, Mai, I'm injured, or did you already forget?" Naru said, the faked defensiveness dripping from his words. It felt good—having him tease her. It felt normal. Mai supposed that it had been his goal in the first place. Making it feel like nothing was wrong.

She continued smiling as they fell into a comfortable silence. Mai searched her mind for words, trying to find something that they could talk about, something to keep the comfortable atmosphere going. However, their moment was cut short. She saw when Naru's eyes shot to the door just behind her, but she didn't understand why, not at first.

"Do you hear that?" Naru asked, his voice low, only barely above a whisper.

At first she opened her mouth to say 'no', but she shut it again and turned around. She leaned forward a bit, trying to listen for whatever he heard. Honestly, when she heard it herself, she was surprised that Naru had caught it. It was…scratching. At the door. Not very heavily. As if someone's hands were just against the wood.

"It's not… It's not a spirit, is it?" Mai asked in a hushed tone, staring at the door. The shadows that fell on the old wood played tricks on her eyes. It made it seem like the door was moving, though she knew that wasn't the case. It was still securely shut.

"No," Naru replied, stepping up to stand next to her. "It can't be. The wards are protecting the door. It's human. Most likely Markus trying to instigate us into opening it up."

Mai continued to stare forward. There was no force, no attempt to jimmy the handle. It was just… a light scraping sound. "What if it isn't? What if it's Isabella? Or… or Deittman? I didn't… see him, after all… What if he's alive and he struggled here for help?" The thought of the older man lying on the other side of the door, bloody and broken, reaching out to them for help… It was enough to make her want to open the door.

Naru seemed to know that instinctively, and he put his arm out, blocking Mai's path. He shook his head. "Mai, I know it's your nature to want to help…. But you can't. Not now. If it is Deittman, there's no way he could survive a fall from the Bell Tower and make it until morning without medical help— _real_ medical help, not just Ayako. We can't sacrifice ourselves for a dying man. Think of everyone up in our base. If we open that door, it's enough to let Markus in to finish us off."

Mai frowned and furrowed her brows. He was right, of course he was right. Even if Deittman had lived, it wasn't likely that Markus would have let him get all of the way across the island without having a purpose for it. "And what if it isn't? What if it's Isabella, and she needs our help?"

"There's no guarantee that she isn't in leagues with Markus. They're twins after all. It would have been difficult for Markus to hide something so terrible from her. Either she knew and she helped, or she knew and she turned a blind eye. Either way, she's just as responsible for the five deaths that have occurred already. The door stays shut. I won't risk anyone else."

When Mai didn't say anything further, Naru turned and gently took her arm. "Come on, we should join the others."

Mai took one last look at the door, the sound of scraping ringing in her ears. She then nodded and let Nary guide her back through the dark room and up the stairs. As soon as they were both in, he waved Lin over to help reset the barricade against the doorway that led to the stairs. If Markus was down there, if he was trying to get in, then it was best that they put as much protection between them and him as possible.

She sat quietly in one of the empty chairs on the other side of the room, staring at the two men as they worked. She had a bad feeling in her gut—one that told her they should open the door. But as she looked around, seeing Ash clutching her side with her eyes squeezed shut and her head against the wall, Yasuhara gingerly moving his injured leg as he leaned forward to put his throbbing head into his hands, Masako staring out of one of the warded windows with void filled eyes, and Ayako curled up against Monk's chest while they held onto each other for dear life….

She knew she could never do it. She couldn't be the reason her friends were hurt, or worse, killed. She knew her curiosity and kindness had a habit of getting her in trouble. It was one thing when it was just her—t was another when it was everyone else. Mai fought back a few tears and swallowed her emotions before crossing her arms on the table in front of her and putting her head down into it.

 _Less than eight hours. We're almost there…_

000

 _Author's Notes: I know, it was a bit of a slower chapter. I think that the next few chapters will be moving very quickly as thing wrap up, so I decided not to jump into the next section. Sorry!_

 _Merry Christmas everyone! I'm sorry I can't respond to reviews right now since I'm out and about but I wanted to post before the end of the day! Hope everyone had a good one!_

 _Thanks for reading everyone!_

 _Ever Your Servant,_

 _A.F_


	34. Chapter 34

Ciao Poveglia

Rated: T

Shibuya Psychic Research receives a special invitation to a 'psychic summit' being hosted at the infamously haunted Poveglia island. Though crossing half the globe with his team is not ideal, Naru simply cannot pass up the chance to get into the normally locked down location. [Rated T, possibly M for gore later.]

000

 **Day 57, Hour 03:02**

Mai had barely managed to nod off when she awoke with a jolt. Smoke. She smelled smoke. Her first instinct was to look over at Ash, but the woman was sitting against the wall, also apparently asleep. Masako, Yasuhara, Naru…. All asleep. Monk and Ayako were in the other room with John and Lin—Mai could hear their voices. Apparently, they hadn't noticed the smell starting to waft through the room. She sat up and looked around, trying to figure out where it was coming from.

There was a faint orange glow coming from beneath the doorway. Mai had to blink a few times to make sure her eyes weren't playing tricks on her. But no, they weren't. There was a fire on the other side of the door.

Alarm bells went off in Mai's head when she realized what was happening and she took a deep breath before shouting, " _fire!"_

The effect was instantaneous. Everyone in the room shot upright and looked around, eyes wide with panic. John, Ayako, Monk, and Lin came running up the stairs from Deittman's base and looked around. Mai didn't waste her breath with words, instead she just pointed at the base of the door to the hallway. Monk was the first to response, turning to look at Ash.

"This isn't you, is it?" He asked, suspicion in his voice.

Ash scowled. "What? _No_. Of course it isn't _me._ I don't spontaneously set things of fire. At least, not anymore." She struggled to stand against the wall, wincing and holding her hands against her side.

"Well how do we know that?" Monk continued, his voice steadily rising, "for all we know this is a trick to get us to leave the room, and you're in on it! You could have been working with that bastard Markus this entire time! Trying to lull us into a false sense of security!"

Ash's mouth dropped open in disbelief. She moved her hands from her sides and then waved them up and down her body. " _Really?!_ I've been put through just as much hell as the rest of you! Maybe even more! I've done nothing but try to help you since the _beginning_!"

"Yeah, but how about—" Monk starting, taking a step forward.

"That's enough," Naru interrupted. "Turning on one another will not make this better. We need to move. Markus likely set fire to something in the hallway to lure us out through the other door. We can either open the door and see if the flames can be put out, or we do exactly as he wants and walk out the other door."

The group looked at one another, each growing more aware of the smoke seeping in through the doorway.

"Wait," Mai said, catching Naru's attention, "what if he thinks that we think his plan is to have us go through the other door, so he's waiting for us at this door? He knows Ash is here and alive, so maybe he thinks we'll try to out maneuver him and go through this door. If so, then we _should_ go through the other door."

"Mai, that is so complicated. Do you really think he thought about us thinking about his plan?" Masako said with a frustrated sigh. She was putting her highly impractical shoes back on, in case they were really planning on leaving.

"She has a point," Ash replied and shrugged, "I mean, my first instinct is to go open the door and see if I can get the fire put out. I think Markus would know that."

Naru looked between Ash and Mai, and then pinched the bridge of his nose. He sighed and shook his head, as if he were surprised by the words he was about to speak. "I am… Inclined to agree. Markus is obviously clever—he was able to fool us all until he slipped up and let us into the Doctor's office. He tried to go alone at first, if you remember. He probably wanted to hide his mask box. If we had let him, we may not have discovered his ill intentions until it was too late."

"If we're going to do this," Lin said, finally speaking up, "then let me go first. I can create a temporary barrier with my Shiki if need be. I doubt it will last long, but it will be enough to keep us from getting caught off guard again."

Naru gave Lin a curt nod and turned around to gather is jacket. If they ended up outside, it would be cold, even colder than it was in their small base. Mai and the others quickly followed suit and gathered up what they could easily carry. It was unlike that they would be able to return. Now that Mai had a moment had a moment to ask, she discovered that it was only a little bit past three in the morning. They would have to make a run for it and find another place to hole up until their boat arrived.

"I'll remove some of the seals from the door downstairs," Ayako said as she zipped up her puffy coat. Mai thought it looked vaguely like an inflated trashbag. Ayako, however, assured her that they were all the rage in Europe. Mai smiled and nodded, but she didn't think that the concept made it any better. Mai shook her head clear of those extraneous thoughts and followed after Lin and Naru as they left the room.

Monk and John were helping Yasuhara move about. Yasu winced as he stood, but Mai had been impressed by his commitment not to complain about his wound. The burn certainly hadn't been his fault, and Mai would have been whining about it constantly. Yasu only made a few jokes, but steeled against the pain and continued onwards. Still, he couldn't hide his limp.

Ash trailed behind everyone, letting Masako go ahead of her. Mai figured that if Lin was leading them onwards, then Ash was covering their tails as they left. Honestly, if it were up to Mai, she would rather be in front than in back. At least then she would see if something was coming at her if she had to get ready for a fight. Not that she would be able to do much against a psychopathic psychic…

"Everyone ready?" Naru asked, his voice low, as they all reached the door leading out of Deittman's base. There were nods and mummers, though Mai could see traces of fear in everyone's eyes. She couldn't blame them. This could be their demise.

Ayako carefully pulled of a few of the spiritual seals protecting the doors and tucked them into her pocket to be used later. Then, Lin counted to three quietly before whistling sharply and whipping the door open. Mai tensed as he did, expecting to come face to face with the unnerving white plague doctor's mask Markus had chosen to dawn.

Instead, there was only blackness. Had she really been right? Did Markus think that they would try to predict his moves and do the unexpected? Mai couldn't help but release a sigh of relief. However, that relief didn't last long. She realized she could smell blood in the air—she could practically taste it, it was so heavy.

"Damn," Lin muttered and shook his head. Mai noticed that he seemed to side step something as he headed into the hallway. "Everyone… be careful… Stick to the right. Don't look down if you can avoid it."

Mai swallowed hard. After everything that had happened on the island, she knew that Lin was warning them for good reason. She steadied herself and moved forward, just behind Naru. She tried to stick to the right just as Lin had directed, but her foot caught on something and she looked down instinctively.

And she wanted to vomit. Vomit and cry. She barely managed to suppress her gag as she stumbled forward and pushed by Naru.

Isabella, it seemed, was dead. At least, Mai assumed it was Isabella based on the long, white-blonde hair stained red and pooling on the floor in front of the door. She didn't want to look close enough to confirm. There were deep cuts in the woman's body, and her light colored clothes were crimson and black. But what disturbed Mai most was the blood on the door. Isabella's arms were stretched out, her fingertips barely reaching the threshold of the door itself. Mai could see the streaks of blood on the wood of the door, left behind by Isabella's finger tips.

She had been alive, at least for a while.

She had been alive, and Mai had done nothing but listen as Isabella tried to get their attention, since she couldn't scream.

The guilt filled Mai like a large bubble. If it popped, she thought she would lose her mind. So much had happened and she felt so responsible as it was.

Mai tried to run passed Lin, but he threw his arm out, keeping her back. She opened her mouth to say something, but only a squeak came out. Lin just gave her a hard look—one that said to her that _now was not the time,_ and _I'm upset, too_. She just nodded and stepped behind him, letting him lead on with his flashlight and familiars. Now that she was just behind the light, she could see that there was a red streak on the ground, and periodic hand prints.

Isabella had dragged herself down the hallway to try to reach them.

Mai squeezed her eyes shut, letting a few tears slide down her cheek before opening them and letting out a staggered exhale. She would have the rest of her life to feel guilty and upset, and she would probably be haunted by Isabella's broken image. But she needed to keep moving to ensure that she actually had a long life in which to seek repentance.

"There should be an exit on the left," Naru said. His voice was low, but it still made Mai jump when it interrupted the silence. "Lin, point the torch in that direction." As directed, Lin flicked the flashlight into the darkness on their left. But there was nothing there.

Well, there _was_ something there, but they couldn't see the door, that was for sure. Lin turned the light upwards, towards where the ceiling was supposed to be. It was no longer there. Instead, the ceiling which separated them from the next floor had crumbled down in large chunks, and those chunks were shoved up against the doorway in layers. They had been barricaded inside of the building.

"How… How strong _is_ he?" Ayako asked, her words coming out in shaky increments. No one responded, which made the realization even worse.

So that's what Markus has been doing in the hours of peace they had been _enjoying_ in their base. He was methodically trapping them inside. Even most of the low windows were blocked. It was at that moment that the panic started to set it. Monk put most of Yasuhara's weight onto John and then ran to the blocked door and tried to move the heavy chunks of stone. He struggled and struggled, but it did him no good.

"I can move it," Naru said finally, causing Lin to turn around sharply, shining the flashlight into Naru's eyes. "Lin, don't—"

"Absolutely not, Oliver, you're already cutting it too close. If you use one more burst of PK, you'll surely be knocked out—and then what? We carry you? You'll do more harm than help," Lin replied sharply. Mai looked over at Naru, who looked like he expected Lin's response.

"Then leave me behind. This is my team. I should never have allowed us to come here. If someone is going to be punished for it, then it should be me."

Lin opened his mouth to speak, but Mai cut him off before he had the opportunity. "Naru… If you think there's even a chance that I would leave you behind, then you're a fool. I can't speak for the others, but you know damn well that I wouldn't leave here without you." It took all of her energy to put on a brave face and push down everything else she was feeling. She didn't think that she had the energy to hold it, however, so she prayed that it was enough to convince Naru she was telling the truth.

"Then I would have Lin drag you out," Naru said.

"Like hell you would," Lin huffed, "I would stay too. Then what? All of us die."

Naru let out a frustrated exhale and narrowed his eyes at Lin then Mai. "Alright, fine. Check the windows. Some of them may not be as fully blocked since they're about a few meters above the water. We may be able to jump."

"Yes, Boss!" Both Yasuhara and Mai replied simultaneously. Without another word, the able body team members started to check the windows in the room for any weak spots in the rubble blocking them. There were only a few inches of stone separating them from the psychotic killer and their possible freedom. That thought was enough to give them a bit of reinvigorating energy in their terrified, sleep deprived estate.

It was _so_ exciting that Mai barely even registered the smell of smoke that slowly crept down the hallway in their direction.

000

 _Author's Notes: Isabella… Poor girl. She was doomed from the beginning! I used her in another story, After Colony: Revelation, and people just hated her. And rightfully so, to be honest. She wasn't ever meant to be a likable character then. So, I decided that this was when she needed to go. She had nothing to do with Markus's plans besides possibly knowing what he did. More of that in the epilogue._

 _Now we're down to just Markus and Ash from the Deittman team. So far, the SPR team has managed to be spared, but we're coming up on the final chapter. Will they all make it?_

 _Thank you to: the few guests, Sesshy's Rose, Surischa, Ghost loves Japan 77, Tsuntsun neko, MistressSleepwell666. I insanely appreciate it each time you guys review! You all keep me motivated to continue writing (and to stick with my goal of having it all posted by the new year!)_

 _Nollypoo: I was worried the heart to heart with Masako would be too rushed, so I'm glad you liked it! Honestly, I never thought about Lin taking the fire spirit as a shiki… It's a really interesting idea, and I wish I had come up with that! I actually have read the short story you're referring to, though it was about half way through Ciao Poveglia. It really helped me in that it assured me I was writing Naru as close to properly as I could! Thank you for your review!_

 _Oxybry: though Markus does have some motivations, I would hardly call any motivation for going on a rampage a "good" one. So, in some ways, you're right. He's a psychopath who decided to show everyone what he could do. He's…. not quite right in the head, to say the least! Thank you for your review!_

 _Sincerelyreeny: I'm glad you're enjoying the story! So, with Mai… here's my reasoning: Masako is trained well enough to keep herself closed off unless she's caught off guard. So, for the most part, she isn't spiritually opening herself enough to let the spirits get close to her. Mai, on the other hand, is like a beacon. She's a shining light of energy because she has a desire to connect and communicate with the spirits. Also, with her leaving her body, it creates a perfect opening that would allow a spirit to possess her without an internal being struggling to take control again…. Is it right? Probably not! That's just how I see it! Hope that makes sense! Thank you so much for reviewing!_

 _Puff the Evil Dragon: aha! You broke down! That was my hope… if I kept updating frequently enough, the people frequently checking for stories would eventually feel like they had to click on it! I'm glad you're enjoying it enough to get the whole way through! Your review honestly made me smile, so thank you for that!_

 _Kikifan21: There is so much I want to respond to you with… but you'll see it all pretty soon. I don't want to give too much away by responding publicly…. Well, I hope you will be satisfied with the ending! Thank you soooo much for your great review!_

 _I hope I didn't miss anyone! Everyone else, thanks for reading!_

 _Ever Your Servant,_

 _A.F_


	35. Chapter 35

Ciao Poveglia

Rated: T

Shibuya Psychic Research receives a special invitation to a 'psychic summit' being hosted at the infamously haunted Poveglia island. Though crossing half the globe with his team is not ideal, Naru simply cannot pass up the chance to get into the normally locked down location. [Rated T, possibly M for gore later.]

000

 **Day 57, Hour 03:20**

"Can't you do anything about this smoke?" Monk coughed as he pulled another piece of broken rock away from the window he was trying to clear.

"I control fire, not smoke," Ash replied, coughing as well. The usual sharpness to her voice was gone. Now, she just sounded tired. Mai couldn't blame her. If anything, Mai commended Ash for trying to move some of the heavy stones away despite her own injuries.

Mai huffed and puffed, trying to breathe through the smoke gathering in the room, and gave the shard she was holding a particularly strong tug. It barely budged. She tried again. She thought about how they were lucky that part of the ceiling was collapsed. It gave the smoke somewhere else to go, keeping them from being completely overwhelmed with polluted air.

Of course, it would have been better if the ceiling hadn't collapsed and the chunks hadn't been used to block them into their makeshift prison, but…. Simple pleasures, Mai supposed.

She tugged again. This time, the shard became dislodged and she went stumbling backwards, colliding with Masako and sending them both to the ground. Mai dropped the shard and hissed as part of it scraped her leg, cutting open her jeans and a patch of her skin. It wasn't too bad. Not compared to the wounds that Yasuhara and Ash had sustained. Mai clenched her jaw and groaned, but did not complain.

Moments later, the rock pile around her window started to slide apart. The chunk she had dislodged had been holding most of it in place, and by pulling it out, the pile loosened. The first rays of moonlight to be seen from one of the lower windows strayed in, landing upon Mai's face. She could barely contain her tears of joy as she took a second to bask in the pale light.

"Oh, dear god, thank you Mai and your abnormal luck," Ayako cried out and stopped her poor excuse for an attempt on her window. She was the first to run over and continue moving what she could from Mai's spot, sliding some of the smaller, crumbling chunks from the top of the pile. Monk and Lin were there next, joining forces to lift a piece of ceiling/flooring that was almost half of Mai's size.

In under a minute, enough was cleared away for them to climb over to the window and peer out at the dark water below. There had been a small walkway below, at some point in time, but it had long since crumbled into the water. It would be a risk to jump in, not knowing what they could get snagged on, but it was better than waiting for Markus to catch up with them.

Which, as it turned out, wasn't all that much longer.

"You've gotta move, guys," Ash hissed from across the room. She was peering down the hallway they had walked in from. "The fire's spreading. If Markus doesn't get to us, the fire will."

"I'll go first," Lin said immediately. He took Mai by the shoulders and moved her out of the way. "I'll make sure it's safe. If I don't resurface, then you know to find another way out."

"Wait, Lin—" Naru called out to his friend and outstretched his hand, but it was too late. Lin did not hesitate to push off as far as he could from the ledge to put as much distance as he could between him and the building. Mai stuck her head out, but she only heard the splash. She didn't see him go under. And she didn't see him come out.

At least, not right away. Lin did break the surface and took a deep breath as he did. He wiped his hair away from his face, slicking it back. "It is a bit shallower toward the wall, but you should be okay. There's a dock close by—we can climb it!" He called up, his arms moving around his sides to keep him a float. He moved away from the window, but he didn't try to get out of the water. Mai figured he would wait to make sure no one needed help.

"Won't we freeze while waiting for the boat if we're drenched?" Masako asked. Her worries were pretty valid. She only had on layers of cloaks. Unlike everyone else, she wasn't wearing a warm jacket. Not for the first time, Mai internally criticized the other young woman's choice in attire. It was hardly practical for their line of work.

"No," said both Naru and Ayako. Naru glared at Ayako but allowed her continue. She was a doctor, after all. Her experience would prove the most persuasive.

"It's pretty chilly, but the temperatures won't drop below freezing tonight. We'll be uncomfortable and miserable, but damn it, we'll be alive. Now step aside." Ayako wasted no time maneuvering over the rubble and standing in the open window. For once, she was wearing boots. Sure, they were expensive, designer riding boots, but at least they were boots. She had no problem jumping forward and gracefully sinking below the water.

Ayako was always a "jump first, ask questions later," sort of person, Mai gave her that much.

"I can't do this," Masako said quietly, and then repeated it a bit louder. Her breath was becoming heavier and more rapid. Mai thought she was about to have a panic attack.

"Masako," Mai said, placing her hands of the other woman's shoulders, holding her tightly in place. "Don't worry so much. It will be fine. We'll have you go next to that we can help you, okay? If you don't think you can jump, maybe Monk can help slowly lower you, and Lin can help guide you into the water, yeah?"

Masako licked her lips as she thought about what to say, but then nodded and turned towards the window. Monk didn't hesitate to wave Masako over and help her sit down on the ledge.

"Okay, I know it will be tough, but just try to lower yourself as much as you can first, then I will take your arms and lower you as much as I can. You should only have a few feet to drop then. Lin," Monk called out, "come here and help make sure Masako gets into the water without much incident, okay?"

As Lin swam over to the side, Masako twisted herself and let her lower have inch down the stone wall. Soon, it was just her torso left. She was visibly shaking, probably from the strain, since she didn't have much upper body strength. Monk crouched down and took her by her forearms and lifted her until only the top of her head could be seen. He awkwardly maneuvered Masako so that he had her by the hands, which caused her to drop about a foot with a squeal. Mai heard the splash as Masako went under, and then her shriek as she resurfaced.

"So-so cold!" She cried, causing Monk to chuckled in a callous sort of way.

"Better cold than dead… Alright, Yasuhara, you want to go next?" Monk asked.

Yasu shook his head. "No, you go. I may need help getting to land after. I dunno how my leg will do in the water."

Monk nodded and gave a mock salute before jumping into the window space. " _Bonzaiii!_ " He shouted like a fool as he cannonballed into the water. It probably wasn't the smartest move, but it brought a smile to Mai's face anyhow.

"Mai, you should go next," Naru said, waving her forward. Mai narrowed her eyes.

"Not a chance, Naru. I'm not letting you have the chance to do something stupid. I'll wait," she said and crossed her arms. Naru raised a brow.

"Stupid? I'm never stupid, Mai. I think you're mistaking the two of us."

Mai only rolled her eyes. "John, Yasu, you guys want to go? We really should hurry." She could see Ash pacing about, staring at the other end of the hallway. She also noticed that Ash was swirling her right index finger around, a small flame moving about her hand. Mai had yet to see the woman so visibly on edge. Something was going to happen.

Yasuhara limped over to the window with John's help. He was able to get into the window alright, but when he tried to jump, his injured leg gave way, and he awkwardly flopped into the water. Lin and Monk both hurried to help Yasu resurface. Mai worried when she didn't see him right away, but soon, she saw that all three men were alright—though Yasuhara was cursing up a storm.

"Damn it, that hurt, ohhh that hurt," he said between his slurred swearing.

"I think he's coming," Ash said from behind Mai, Naru, and John. "You have to hurry."

John nodded and looked to Mai, but Mai nodded. No, she wouldn't go. Not yet. John looked down and shook his head, but went ahead regardless. He whispered a prayer as he prepared himself and then jumped as far as he could into the water.

"Ash," Naru said.

"You guys go."

"What?" Mai said, perhaps a bit more angry than she meant, "no, we're going last. Naru won't go unless everyone else is gone, and I won't go without him. It's your turn."

Ash shook her head, not taking her eyes off the hallway. There was an orange glow now. The fire had made its way towards the hallway. Mai's thoughts immediately flashed back to poor Isabella. Her body had likely been consumed by the flames already. What a horrible way for her body to go…

 _It was just like everyone else who had died of Poveglia._

"He'll be here soon. I'll cover you. I'll come when you're safe, okay?" Ash still wouldn't look at them when she spoke. Mai had the feeling Ash wasn't telling the truth. But she also had the feeling that it wasn't something she should pursue. "Go. Please."

"Mai, come on," Naru said finally, taking Mai's arm and turning her to face the window. Mai didn't turn willingly. He had to practically drag her to the opening as her eyes remained on Ash.

She hated this. God, she hated this _so_ much. Mai took a deep breath and steadied herself. The faster they went, the faster Ash would join them. _Okay_. _Fine._ Naru tried to get her into the window by herself, but she took his hand and shook her head. "I'm not going unless you go. We'll go together."

Naru stared up at her, his blue eyes reflecting the moonlight. Mai was thankful that the storm had cleared earlier that night, and they at least had calm waters ahead of them. It was the complete opposite of the fire that was raging behind them. Naru squeezed into the window next to Mai. "On the count of three?"

She nodded.

"One—"

"He's here!" Ash shouted.

"Two—"

There was a scream and a thud as Ash hit the wall next to them.

"Three—"

Mai felt her body lift and move, and not in the direction she had planned to jump. It was like something had grabbed her by the waist and pulled. She flew backwards, back into the room. The only thing keeping her from going more than a few feet was the fact that Naru still had her by the hand.

"Mai!"

"Naru!" Mai cried out in terror, looking up at him, the man she loved with all of her heart, holding onto her for dear life. Both of his hands were clutching her hand and wrist tightly, but she could see the terror in his eyes. She could see the white of the plague doctor mask reflecting off of Naru's irises. And she could feel his grip slipping. "Please don't let go," she said, her word dripping in fear, "please, please, Naru, please—"

There was another jerk as her body was tugged. Naru's hands scrambled to hold onto Mai's, but it wasn't enough. His grip on her wrist slipped first, and then her fingers fell through his. As Mai went soaring backwards into Markus's open arms, Naru fell backwards through the window. Time seemed to slow to a near stop as she watched him topple, his arms flailing to catch himself. But with Mai in his arms, Markus didn't hesistate to send out a wave of psychic energy, one that Mai could feel ripple throughout her body, and direct it at Naru. Mai swore she could see the moment of impact, and the pain in Naru's eyes.

He flew out the window, just like Deittman had flown out of the Bell Tower.

Mai inhaled deeply.

" _Naru!"_

"He may have broken his neck with that fall," came Markus's voice, muffled by the mask he wore, on Mark's neck, "and if you're not careful, you'll be quick to join him."

Mai struggled against Markus's grip on her, but it was no use. He was much stronger, even without his psychic powers. Her eyes searched for Ash. When she found the other woman, she saw that Ash was lying, unmoving, against one of the walls. "Why are you doing this?" Mai asked, not bothering to suppress her sobs, "we never did anything to you. We don't even know you!"

There was a cold laugh in response. "Most of the people here never did anything to me. Regardless, if you're expecting some sort of villainous monologue, think again Miss Mai Taniyama. Now, if you would like a chance to live a little bit longer, tell me, where are your friends going to go next? I don't have much time left, you see, so I really must finish them off soon."

Mai choked back a sob and continued her struggle. She lifted one of her legs and brought the heel of her booted foot down onto Markus's. He yowled in pain and limped about, trying to maintain his hold on Mai. She thrust her elbow back as hard as she could. It may have been at an awkward angle, but it was enough to cause him to crumple a bit and for her to slip away.

She only managed to get a few feet forward before she felt the psychic pull once more. Mai turned to try to get a look at Markus, but then she fell forward and Markus shouted. When she looked up, she saw a burst of fire circling her.

" _Why. Won't. You. Die?!"_ Markus shouted and backed away as the flames grew larger.

Ash was standing now, though she was hunched over and gritting her teeth. "I've been dying my whole life, bastard, you really think this Fire Spirit will let you take me first?"

Markus raised his hands, presumably to use his telekensis, but he didn't have a chance. Ash was quicker, and soon, the black cloak that Markus was wearing was going up in flames. He screamed and fought to get it off. Ash hobbled over to help Mai up.

"You have to go," Ash breathed. Her voice was raspy and strained. She couldn't even hide her pain from Mai anymore.

"Come with me, we can—"

Ash shook her head. "Mai, I can't swim. Fire and water, you know? I have no strength left. I'll drown before I make it to land. Please, just go. I'll make sure he can't follow." She gave Mai a half smile, and though it was forced through the pain, Mai actually got the impression it was genuine. "I'm glad I met you. All of you. Tell Lin to save me a dance in the afterlife, okay?"

Mai felt tears welling up in her eyes as she looked between Ash, the window, and Markus. He had almost managed to pull the flaming cloak off of him. "I… I can't just leave you! You did so much to help us…. It isn't fair!"

"Life's not fair, Mai. My life has never been fair. But I really am dying. I can feel it. This is the end for me. At the very least, I'm going to go out with a bang. Go, and tell the others to get as far away from the building as they can. If I'm going to go, I'm going to take it all with me." Ash reached out and patted Mai on the shoulder before turning and blocking Mai from Markus's line of sight.

He had his cloak off. Mai could see that he was wearing just his normal clothes underneath—but they were covered in blood. She wondered if it was Isabella's—his own sister's. "Do you _really_ think you can out maneuver me, Natasha?" Markus practically sneered. His condescending tone was most noticeable when he said Ash's full name. "I know your tricks. Or have you forgotten how _intimately_ I know you?"

"You have _no idea_ what I'm capable of," Ash growled. Mai could feel the air around her heating up as the flames started to circle Ash. It was similar to what had happened in the Bell Tower just a few nights ago—and Mai knew that it wouldn't have ended well without Lin to stop Ash.

Maybe Ash really could stop Markus, even if it was at great cost.

The inferno from the rest of the building had reached them but it only seemed to give Ash more power. Mai could hardly see through the flames and the smoke as she made her way to the window and stood in the opening. She could see Monk and Lin in the water. They were shouting to each other and diving beneath the water. The others were swimming to the end of the building.

Mai gave one last look back at the two remaining members of Deittman's investigation team. Markus had pulled off the plague doctor's mask, which was burning up on the floor. He was throwing chunks of stone around the room, but each time any managed to get close to Ash, a burst of flames diverted them. Finally, Ash turned and gave Mai one last nod and a smirk.

Her eyes were yellow.

Mai nodded back and jumped.

The water was cold to begin with but it was only made colder when compared to the hot room Mai had just left. For a moment, it felt like icicles were stabbing into Mai's extremities, and it hurt when she took her first breath above the surface of the water. She pushed all of that aside and swam over to Lin and Monk. "N-Naru," she shivered, "where is he?"

"Get to land, Mai," Lin ordered as Monk went back under.

"You're making this harder. Get to land, _now_." Lin dove under as well.

Mai stayed in place, moving her arms and legs to stay afloat. It was quiet now. Besides the sound of the fire raging above her, Mai could only hear the sound of water hitting against the side of the building and the nearby dock. She was about to turn and swim towards the others who had pulled themselves from the water, but she felt something at her ankle.

She barely managed a shriek before she was pulled under. Down she went until she thought she would hit the lagoon bottom—a bottom which was likely littered with human remains. And then, the force on her ankle disappeared. Mai could tell she wouldn't be able to hold her breath for much longer, and she stretched out to start swimming back to the surface. When she did, her hand felt the wisps of hair.

Of course, Mai freaked out at first, thinking she had touched a corpse. But then she braved moving her hand farther and realized that she felt a jacket that was similar to Naru's pea coat. Deciding that she would risk the chance that it _wasn't_ Naru, Mai grabbed hold of the figure's forearm and started swimming to the surface. If it weren't for Lin grabbing hold of her to help her break through, Mai wasn't sure if she would have made it.

Lin took Naru's (hopefully) unconscious body and started kicking towards the dock. Monk put an arm around Mai to help keep her head above the water and followed after. The had just reached the dock where there was an explosion of rubble from the building they had left. All of the debris that had been blocking the windows and door flew outwards. It Mai, Monk, and Lin had waited even a moment longer, they probably would have been crushed by the falling rocks.

John and Ayako helped Lin lift Naru's body from the water. As soon as he was flat, Ayako immediately began checking Naru's vitals. Moments later, she was giving him CPR. Mai lifted herself as much as she could, but Monk still had to give her a boost so that she could climb onto the dock.

"Naru," Mai said quietly. His body looked even paler than usual, if that were possible, and his lips were discolored. He looked dead.

 _Dead in the water, just like Gene._

"Naru!" Her voice was panicked now as she struggled to his side. Ayako tried to push her away, but Mai fought the woman's attempts. "He—he can't be—"

"He has a pulse, but it's weak. Give me space," Ayako demanded, pushing Mai away roughly so that she could return to her 'patient.' Mai slid to the ground, just a foot away, and started sobbing. She had cried so much over the past few days. It was understandable though, wasn't it? No one could blame her for being upset, with everything that had happened, right?

Naru would tell her to stop being such a baby.

But Naru was laying just inches from her, looking like a corpse.

Time seemed to move at a snail's pace until Ayako finally spoke. "He's okay," Ayako said after a sound of retching came from Naru. He rolled onto his side and expelled the water he had swallowed, groaning as he did so.

" _Mai—"_ he said in a croak. " _He has Mai—"_

Mai pushed herself forward and practically dove onto Naru, earning her an uncomfortable hiss. She didn't care. She wrapped her arm around his torso tightly and buried her head into his wet chest. "You looked dead," she cried, not even bothering to hide her tears from him, "I thought I had lost you, oh god, I thought you were gone for good."

Naru's arms slowly wrapped around her and they lay as a huddle mass on the ground. Mai could feel him shaking, but she didn't know if it was from overwhelming emotion or the cold of the water and the night air.

"I thought I'd lost you, too," Naru said quietly, once Ayako had stepped away and sought her own comfort in Monk.

Mai didn't say anything. She only shook her head and sniffed.

"But never again," he said and gave her a squeeze. "I refuse to feel like that ever again."

They stayed like that for a little while, until Naru insisted that he needed to move. They were laying on a hard, brick surface after all, and it was hardly comfortable, especially for his injured back. Mai pulled herself away and helped him to stand before he hobbled over to a grassy area near John, Yasuhara, and Masako. Mai was about to follow when she noticed that Lin was standing away from them, closer to the burning building.

Mai walked over to him, wrapping her arms around herself for warmth. It didn't help. She was too soaked. She could hear sirens in the distance. It seemed that help was finally on its way. "Are you… okay?" She asked.

Lin didn't look at her. When she looked up at him, she could see the light of the fire reflecting in his eyes. "Ash didn't make it out."

Mai looked away and shook her head. She knew he could see her from the corner of his eye. "She… she wouldn't come. She made sure that Markus couldn't follow us. I think I'd be dead if it weren't for her."

"We'd all be dead," Lin replied, much to Mai's surprise. "We'd all be dead, if it weren't for her warning when we arrived." Mai didn't answer, but she very much agreed. She stood for a while longer before turning and leaving Lin's side.

Mai looked at her friends, who sat in the moonlight, looking like that had survived a war. Maybe in some ways they did. Naru stared at the black water, which was peaceful in an equally peaceful night that had been oblivious to the chaos they had endured. Maybe he was thinking about his fate was almost to end up dying at the bottom of a body of water, just like his twin brother. Mai didn't know if she would ever tell Naru about the phantom force that pulled her down to his level so that she could save him.

There were now lights to go with the sounding sirens. Mai was thrilled to see the red and blue approaching them in the distance. She couldn't imagine what they would have to say to the cops, most of them in broken English, but she knew it would be a long process to go home.

But at least they _got_ to go home.

Unlike Desdemona and the Americans. Unlike Deittman and Isabella. Unlike Ash.

And hopefully unlike Markus.

Mai usually would never wish ill on someone, but when it came to the lives of her and her friends verses a psychotic, telekinetic serial killer… Well, the choice wasn't difficult, now that she'd received a taste of real fear.

Mai took one last look around her. It seemed like the spirits were all stirred up. She was no Masako, but even Mai could tell that there was activity. Maybe they were rejoicing. Maybe they were glad that a place that had caused them so much pain was burning.

There were so many 'maybes'.

She sighed and walked off to join her friends, taking her spot next to Naru.

Well, at least she knew there was one thing that _wasn't_ a 'maybe.'

000

 _Author's Notes: well that's it! That's the ending to Ciao Poveglia, well, besides the epilogue which may explain some things. Maybe not. Who knows? I want to try to answer all of your questions, but I won't know what all of them are unless you tell me! I do want to hear your thoughts. I hope no one was disappointed with the ending. Ash never had chance, not really. I'm renowned for my ability to kill off characters. Unfortunately, Ash was one of them. The more I like a character, the higher the likelihood they will die, especially in a fanfic because I don't want them to take away from the canon characters! It's too bad because she did actually like Lin… But, Lin, ultimately, has to go back to Madoka._

 _I want to thank a few people here: Sesshy's Rose, Puff the Evil Dragon SterlingClear, Tsuntsun neko, and Ghost loves Japan 77, as well as a guest reviewer for your reviews on the last chapter. Also thank you to Kikifan21, MissKiku, Oxybry, Ghost Loves Japan 77 (again!), Vella, DragonSlayer2187, and MistressSleepwell66 for all of your consistent reviewing! You guys really deserve some major credit for your dedication! Thank you!_

 _Seriously thought, thank you to **everyone** who read Ciao Poveglia! A special thank you to those of you who reviewed to make sure I continued! I couldn't have done it without you all! Now, I have to ask… if you are reading this (maybe just after I posted it, maybe sometime later…) Please consider dropping a review. The reason I say that is because sometimes, after a story has been completed, it fades away to the back pages of the archive and people no longer find it. The more reviews Ciao Poveglia has, the higher the chance someone will come across it if they sort 'by review', which I know many, many people do! So… if you think someone else should find the story… consider reviewing with your thoughts! I promise I read them all! I will continue to respond to registered users through PMs if I can!_

 _I will post the Epilogue within the next week, hopefully. From there on out, I will add some info to the tumblr page, Ciao Poveglia, to give some extra insight into the story!_

 _Thank you all!_

 _Ever Your Servant,_


	36. Epilogue

Ciao Poveglia

Rated: T

Shibuya Psychic Research receives a special invitation to a 'psychic summit' being hosted at the infamously haunted Poveglia island. Though crossing half the globe with his team is not ideal, Naru simply cannot pass up the chance to get into the normally locked down location. [Rated T, possibly M for gore later.]

000

It had been over a month since the end of the hell on Poveglia, though Mai had only been back in japan for about two weeks. After the SPR team had been picked up by the Venetian police, they were taken to the hospital for emergency care and then remained in custody until the preliminary investigation was completed on Poveglia. The police seemed like they wanted to hold them longer, but Japanese embassy was quick to come to its citizens' defenses and get them sent home as soon as they could.

Naru hadn't been quite so lucky, since his primary citizenship was the UK and thus, part of the EU with Italy. He had to remain for a few more days with Lin while the Japanese team flew home. In the end, the fire was ruled accidental. Apparently, the authorities seemed to think an old space heater overheated, taking out the generator and setting fire to the old building.

Mai didn't believe the police thought it was accidental, not for one second. She felt that it was a deliberate cover up, but for what reason? She didn't know. Maybe Deittman had paid off the police before he even started to make sure that any accidents were covered up.

Mai was worried that Naru wouldn't be coming back to Japan after everything that happened. She hoped that he would, but sometimes he could be so hard to read that she just wasn't sure. He had returned a few days ago and told the others that though they could stop by the SPR office, he had no intention of taking any cases for a long while. He had too much to wrap up after Poveglia.

Lin did not return with Naru. When questioned, Naru simply said that it wasn't his place to talk about Lin's personal life. Of all people, it was Yasuhara who managed to get the details, and it was after some prodding. He had been in touch with Madoka after their return. He periodically checked in so that he could make sure Lin and Naru were both doing alright during their short stay in the UK. Apparently, Lin and Madoka had a rather heated argument before Poveglia, which ended whatever odd relationship they had. Until that point, she had been planning on going to Poveglia as well.

Lin was more than relieved that she hadn't gone. He apologized for whatever had happened upon his return home and then asked for some time apart. He promised he would go back to her whenever he cleared his head. Madoka didn't question it, after everything that she had heard about Poveglia.

Ayako and Monk checked in with Mai often, though they had not spent more than an evening together since arriving in Japan. It seemed that the two of them had a great deal of talking and deciding to do, and Mai left them to it. She didn't enjoy being alone as often as she was. She dreamed often of Poveglia, though she kept that fact to herself.

Mai continued to go to the SPR office, even before Naru returned. She made sure it was clean and that fridge was stocked for whenever Naru arrived. She walked down to their favorite little tea shop and greeted the Nakamura's with a wide smile. She told them some of the better highlights of her trip to Europe before returning and unloading her grocery bags. Though she didn't expect anyone to show that day, she made a pot of tea anyhow.

Wasn't there a movie that said, _"if you make it, they will come?"_ Or something like that?

Maybe he could smell the freshly brewed tea from wherever he had been, but no sooner had Mai pulled the pot from the burner did Naru walk through the door with his small suitcase.

She could have cried in that moment, seeing him back in the SPR office. But she didn't. She smiled and nodded, and then turned back to pull his favorite tea cup out of the cupboard.

And all was right in the world.

Which was why she currently sat at the small dining table on the SPR office laptop, cursing as she tried to submit her paperwork to take the last round of college entrance exams for the year. "Oh come on! I've submitted you like three times! Why am I still getting an error!"

"Stop yelling," Naru sighed as he exited his private room and walked over to Mai's seat. He waved her hand away from the mouse and leaned over her shoulder, scrolling through the webpage to check for errors. Mai fought a blush as his chest brushed against her back and shoulder, and his breath grazed over her head. "You're on the wrong page. You need to submit on this one here—you have to enter as a late submission. This page is only for pre-registration."

Mai frowned. He was right. She should have seen that. _That's it? No name calling? He must be in…_

"You know, Mai, if you can't figure that out, I'm wondering if you should even bother taking the exams."

"Oh, shut up!" Mai snapped and brushed his hand away. She leaned over and grumbled as she clicked on the link to the other submission area. It wiped all of the information she had put in over the last hour. She let out a slew of curses.

"So vulgar, it's really not becoming of someone who's supposed to be _my_ assistant. Maybe I should just fire you," Naru said lightly before turning away. He pulled a set of files from the countertop and dropped them next to Mai. "Well, since you're clearly not doing anything useful, I think it's time for us to start the report of the Poveglia case."

Mai let her head drop to her arm as she groaned loudly. "You are unbelievable."

"And yet, you seem to find it endearing. Anyhow," Naru said and flipped the first file open. "We'll start with the information I've discovered since first leaving Poveglia."

Mai looked up and raised a brow at Naru. "We're starting with the information from _after_ the investigation?"

"Yes."

"… I'm not going to be writing any of this down, am I?" Mai asked with a sigh. She sat upright and slid her chair backwards.

"Of course not, Mai. Most of this obtained illegally, so we can't record anything. That would just be stupid, now wouldn't it?"

"I'm going to need some tea for this." She stood and shook her head, walking over to the sink to start filling a pot.

"Yes, that would be best. Now, I'm going to start with Deittman. There is a great deal of information he worked to suppress, which is why I didn't find much more than the obvious during our preliminary research. It seems he had some legal troubles, which his estate will now have to handle. A set of sisters came forward and claimed that the initial research Deittman completed in the nineteen seventies, the research that launched him into fame, was plagiarized from their own work. He had threatened them into silence, and it wasn't until they were much older, with less to lose, I suppose, that they decided to press forward with legal action. Apparently, Deittman was looking for another big breakthrough to help minimalize the damage to his name in the public eye, which is why he was so particular above Poveglia."

Mai nodded and set the tea on the stove to let the water start to boil. "I suppose that makes some sense… I'm sure it would have been another cash-cow for him if he had managed to secure some evidence. It would have helped pay legal fees. Could you imagine if he had managed to get the fire demon on camera? That would have been an amazing piece…"

"Exactly. Anyhow, Desdemona, as it turns out, was actually his goddaughter. Out of everyone there, Deittman had the closest connection with Desdemona. I'm sure it was a horrible blow once he saw her dead." Naru watched her from the corner of his eye as she returned to the table and closed the laptop. She pushed it aside and propped her head up on her arm.

"So do you think that Markus went after Desdemona first to cause Deittman harm?"

Naru nodded. "Yes, I do believe so. It took some searching and a few phone calls, but I was able to get someone to confirm that Desdemona and Deittman had both visited the Valentinians in the months leading up to Poveglia, and their confrontations weren't good."

"I think Ash said something about Deittman and Markus arguing over money?" Mai said, looking absently at the ceiling, trying to recall what Ash said when they asked her about Markus.

"Oh yes, that was definitely part of it," Naru replied and pulled one of the folders from the bottom of the pile. "Let's go back before that. Ash claimed that Markus's abilities started to manifest after the death of his mother. If you recall, the Valentinians were known for their aristocratic blood. Apparently, Lady Valentinian had not been entirely honest about the family finances. The family was in much greater trouble than Markus knew—and he remained in the dark until she died, of course. Then the burden fell to him as the family's designated heir. That was the original reason the Valentinians continued to accept work from Deittman, even the dangerous cases. They were in dire need of money, and if they lost their estate to debt collectors, then that was it. The Valentinian's would lose any of their 'old money' status."

Mai scowled. "So what? Deittman wasn't paying him enough? So Markus went on a murderous rampage? That is really poor excuse—not that there _is_ a good one."

"No, it continues. First, let me start by saying, it appears that the Valentinians have… a history of mental instability, among other defects. It's genetic," Naru said and raised his brow at Mai, as if that was enough for her to figure out what he was trying to say.

"Like how Isabella was mute?"

"Yes…. Her disability was likely caused by their genetic… Inferiority," Naru said and stared at Mai a moment more. Still, Mai gave him a blank look. He sighed. "It seems that there was more than a small amount of inbreeding that plagued the Valentinian family—hence their extremely fair complexions. Markus and Isabella were not made aware of this, however, until it was uncovered after their mother's death. Deittman also found this information out within the past year. Apparently, he had a prewritten public statement prepared, one in which he severed ties with the Valentinians because of their genetic background and a scandal involving their parents. He stopped paying Markus and Isabella for their work, and instead blackmailed them into service."

"That's awful!" Mai cried out, scrunching her face up in disgust.

"Which part?"

"Well… all of it! I mean, sure, it's… _really_ weird to think about the Valentinan family… But… wasn't that a common practice, back when noble blood was important? That doesn't excuse it, but I guess, if they felt like they needed preserve their blood line…" Mai shook her head, "no, still, it doesn't matter. It's not like Markus and Isabella had anything to do with that. They were innocent. I can't believe that Deittman would resort to blackmailing."

Naru shrugged. "I agree it's wrong—all of it—but it's true. Desdemona was involved in the blackmailing scheme. She said she would go public with the information if anything happened to Deittman. I suppose that Markus saw Poveglia as the perfect chance to get rid of everyone who was making his life harder."

"But… The Americans? Ash? Even Isabella? Why them?" The kettle was starting to whistle. The tea was almost ready, thankfully.

"Collateral damage? I think we _all_ believed that Deittman was the killer. Markus likely planned to pin the deaths on him, but then we discovered the truth, and he had to go a step further. As for Isabella—Markus was unable to sell the estate without Isabella signing over her part of the inheritance to him. He wanted to sell the estate before it could be seized to try to save face, but Isabella wouldn't let him." Naru flipped the folder to show a copy of Lady Valentinian's Will and an image of the estate. It was enormous and gorgeous. She could see why Isabella wasn't eager to part with it.

Mai rubbed her temples as the kettle whistled. "All of this over mostly money… Unbelievable. To think that someone could value another person's life so little…." She shook her head and stood again. She moved the kettle from the stove top and pulled down two cups for the both of them. "What about Ash? Did you find anything on her?"

Naru was quiet for a while, and he waited until Mai was seated before speaking. "She… didn't have a very good life."

"Yeah, she said something like that," Mai said and looked down at her tea. Naru left his untouched.

"Are you sure you want to know?" Naru asked seriously, staring at Mai.

"Well… yeah. She gave her life to save me— _us_. I feel like I owe it to her to at least know a little about her…."

Naru tapped the folder he now had on top a few times before opening it. "Alright… Her mother was an immigrant from Russia. She was born in the United States, making her a citizen. Her mother married an American to keep her residency after Ash was born. Her step father was abusive towards her, and the situation apparently only worsened after Ash's half-sister was born. Her step father decided that he didn't want to take care of a child that wasn't his, and by sixteen she had been displaced from her home. I gather that it was about that time that Ash took on the Fire Spirit.

It's a highly dangerous spiritual ritual, where a captured spirit is passed from one person to another. The more people who have held it captive in their bodies, the faster it moves through the next individual's body. I had to really work to find someone who had knowledge on this topic. He was able to track down the group that performed the ceremony, and he confirmed that Ash was the fifth person to take the Fire Spirit. The fact that she survived with it for ten years is incredible. If she had passed it on to someone else, they probably would have only had five or so years themselves. I'm surprised she held onto it for so long."

Naru opened the file and withdrew a few photos for Mai. There were images of a younger Ash, one that looked as equally snarky as the one that Mai had known.

"She said she didn't want to curse someone else," Mai muttered and flipped through the pictures. She stopped at one that was of another girl. She stood at a bus stop, looking down at her cell phone. "Is this her sister?" She remembered Ash saying that her sister had a similar build and hair style to Mai, and the girl in the picture seemed to fit that description.

"Yes. Nadia Olenick. She's a student at New York University. I'm not sure if she'll be able to continue, however. She was receiving scholarships set up by Deittman. Almost all of Ash's earnings went into that scholarship. I doubt that she's even aware that it was her sister paying for her education."

"Do they know?" Mai asked, taking the picture. There was a sticky note on the back with contact information. "Has anyone told her family?"

Naru shrugged and shook his head. "Since Ash didn't receive a traditional paycheck, no one really knew she was on Deittman's payroll. There's no reason for anyone investigating to know that she was on the island. Since we were all directed to partake in the investigation as little as possible, we can't tell the authorities without involving ourselves once more."

Mai frowned and shifted. Now she was visibly uncomfortable with the information. "What about… what about Father Grunwald? The priest who worked with Deittman? He could confirm it, couldn't he? He knew the plans."

"Unfortunately, he has refused to get involved with the matter," Naru sighed and sat back, running a hand through his dark hair. "As it turns out, he was supposed to be on Poveglia—no surprise, really, since he was at the party the night before. However the Vatican interfered and pulled him out at the last minute. They said that they wanted nothing to do with Poveglia, and that an 'island as dark as that should be left in peace.' They refused to let one of their priests go."

Mai rubbed her forehead. "Wait, but what about John? Shouldn't they have pulled John out too, since he's a Catholic Priest?"

Naru stared down at the folders, his brows raised. He still hadn't touched his tea. "It certainly does raise some questions."

She opened her mouth to ask what he meant, but she closed it again. She knew what he meant. John's whole situation was odd, and this just added to the oddity. But he was her friend, and she wasn't going to question it. It wasn't her place. "I want to try to contact Nadia. Do you have a problem with that?"

"If I didn't want you to do it, I wouldn't have given you her contact information," Naru replied and closed up the folders. He moved them into his arm and stood, taking his tea with his free hand. "Are you okay?"

Mai looked up at him and gave him a half smile. "I will be. I guess I'm just glad it's over."

Naru nodded and started to walk back to his room. She figured he didn't want to leave all of the folders sitting around in case one of the other SPR irregulars showed up. She was honored that he made it her business, but maybe the others were better off not knowing all of the details.

"Oh, Mai," Naru said just before he reached his room.

"Hmm?" She turned around in her chair to look at him.

"Remember to dress up a bit on Friday. I'm not sure if you know this, but the theater _is_ a semi-formal affair," he said and raised a brow as he sipped his tea.

She rolled her eyes and scowled. "Why couldn't we have just gone to a movie, like normal people? Why the _theater_?"

"Please. If I'm going to sit in the dark and watch something in an uncomfortable chair, I'd at least prefer it to be something enlightening. _The Tempest_ is a classic. You'll learn something from it. Don't forget to get your exam registration submitted." And with that, he shuffled into his room, kicking it shut behind him.

Mai grabbed a magazine from the unused chair next to her and tossed it at the closed door.

 _Well, it could be worse. He could have chosen 'Othello' as a first-date._

She sighed and pulled the laptop back towards her to finish what she had been working on in the first place before she was so _rudely_ interrupted.

000

 _Author's Notes: The end! I hope I explained just about everything to the best of my story ability… If you have more questions, I can try to send you a PM on , or you could send it via the Tumblr page (search for Ciao Poveglia, it should come up!) If you send it via Tumblr, I will answer publicly so that everyone can see the response in case they had the same questions!_

 _I stepped away from for a bit to take a break before posting the epilogue. Hope it answers some questions. I will definitely start trying to send PMs to reviewers with unanswered questions! I have some material planned for the tumblr page which I will start posting. I'm thinking the analysis of the story outlining how Markus had a chance to do everything will be the first thing…_

 _Thank you everyone! All of my wonderful readers and reviewers! You guys are the reason I was able to finish this story! Ciao!_

 _Ever Your Servant,_

 _A.F_


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